


My future will listen to me.

by Axecilies



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: British Slang, Coming Out, Family Bonding, Gordie's sick gymnastic feats, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mental Health Issues, Romantic Fluff, Self Confidence Issues, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24205879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axecilies/pseuds/Axecilies
Summary: Gordie has a week until the annual League sponsorship gala. He’s decided this year, he’s got something very important to tell everyone----but he has to figure out how he’s going to do that.
Relationships: Makuwa | Gordie/Yarrow | Milo, Stonegardenshipping
Comments: 20
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

"Gordie, I'm glad to see that you and Milo are still getting along well." It's the first thing that Melony says, right after a League match. Gordie lost to Nessa, and Melony to Bea.

"We're best friends, mum. Milo, Nessa and I are tighter than a pack of Nickit." Melony's attempt at small talk with Gordie seems to be taken less than well, and instead, Gordie feels as if he's deflecting something that's been asked only on an undertone. Is she implying something? He's barely quick enough to bite back a remark he doesn't want to make. As much as he acts like he doesn't want to speak to Melony... he  _ really _ does. "Why?"

Melony walks close to Gordie, looking up at him and pinching his cheeks. Despite how much shorter she is, she always seems to find a way to do that-- and  _ embarrass _ him. "Because you were always a very standoffish kid! You think I wouldn't remember how my son acted when he was young?"

" _ Wish you hadn't _ ." Gordie mumbles to himself, pulling his head back so Melony can't embarrass him more, and readjusting his sunglasses. "'M standoffish 'cause you know I don't like people knowing how I feel."

"Yes, I recall your experiences with many of the therapists in Circhester." Melony seems to shake her head. "It's... a pity that they couldn't help you--"

"It's an impulse thing. IED, I... think. I think that's what it was called." He scratches the back of his neck. "Listen, mum, I'm not here to talk about my mental health with you, I'm here to get my stuff and go. I've got training to do--"

"Then why don't we train together? It's clear we both need the practice--"

"We're not exactly on talking terms,  _ now are we _ ?" Gordie's voice is  _ far _ sharper than he means it to be--  _ too far gone now, guess I just have to go with it... _

"I assumed you were keeping that facade up for your fanclub. It isn't necessary, dear. I  _ am _ a member of your fanclub as well."

"It's--!" Oh, he can feel anger bubbling in his chest. Instead of shouting, he reduces his voice to a low hiss, " _ \--it's not to do with my fucking fanclub _ ." Gordie hates that Melony would assume it's because of that--  _ is she still so stubborn she doesn't get that she's in the wrong _ ?!

Melony seems to sense the tone of Gordie's voice, but she stands her ground. She's been dealing with this for years--  _ a little post-loss anger from him is nothing _ \-- and she looks at Gordie pointedly. "If that's what you think. I feel they affect your life far more than you care to admit."

The anger seems to triple, and by now, Gordie's getting ever so close to snapping, to yelling-- throwing his weight around, like he did when he was with any therapist. One arm seems to shake-- and he turns away from Melony quickly, instead hitting his fist against his locker as he retrieves a few unused Hyper Potions, and some items he'd been planning to use, before ultimately scrapping the idea. He needs to work on it… 

"Gordie." The sound of Melony's voice makes him turn slightly, still fuming behind his sunglasses. "You can  _ always _ shut Circhester Gym if you need time to think--" 

"What, and lose my income to _you?_ Let my Gym Trainers down? **_Ha!_** _Real_ _funny_ , mum." Gordie snorts _loudly_ and slams his locker shut, pulling his jacket a little tighter on him and stalking past Melony, not even bothering to look at her. "I _don't need_ time to think. I need to be _stronger. Unbeatable._ "

As he leaves, Melony calls out to him-- though she's unsure if he even hears. "Strength isn't everything, Gordie-- that's the mistake your father made! Don't be so stubborn to think you can avoid the same pitfalls!" 

While he knows Melony can't see him, nor hear him, Gordie  _ snorts.  _ Stubborn… "Got that one from  _ you,  _ mum. Doesn't look like dad played a part at all." 

He hails a CorviTaxi, climbing into the metal box without any word to the people surrounding him-- while some of his fans seem confused at first, when Melony appears from Wyndon Stadium, there seems to be a realization amongst them, and they begin muttering. 

Gordie wants no part in idle gossip about him and his mother. Better not to think about what could be said, and instead think about what other things require his attention. He struggles to relax in the taxi-- the constant lurching keeps his focus on solely negative things-- and in his head, he slowly sorts through what he has to do. There's a sponsorship gala near the end of the week, so he'll have to make sure he's got a clean suit, and that his Pokemon are in top form, he's still got small things to do around the Gym, despite the fact that challengers are less inclined to come to Circhester at this time of the year, he's still  _ just about _ making rent, and he's loathed to let his fans step in for that, especially after what Melony had said. 

Ah. He's got a date with Milo tonight. A relaxed sort of one-- he's going down to Turffield to see him, spend the night maybe, since it's a long journey back to Circhester-- they're probably just going to have a nice meal and spend time with each other, which seems… like it'll be nice. After all of the things that've happened and that  _ will _ be happening, a small respite from constant chaos sounds nice.

Melony's voice cuts through his thoughts again. What she had said about his fans just seemed to creep up on him.  _ "They affect your life far more than you care to admit." _ Well, of course they did. He has a large fanbase, he wants to make sure they're all happy! There's nothing wrong with changing your battle style to please fans, especially when you have a fanbase as large as Gordie's.

Somehow, he wonders if Melony means something else. Of course, he's openly trans, he has been for years-- since he became a Gym Leader, even-- but… not openly gay. He'd kept that secret-- no one even knows he's dating Milo,  _ not even Melony knows. _ So how could she ever mean that… his fanclub makes him  _ not  _ want to come clean about it? There's no way. It just has to be some odd coincidence. 

He sighs sharply, letting his shoulders sag against uncomfortable leather, and he watches as the world flows by below him. He doesn't know  _ why _ what Melony said rubs him the wrong way, but it does-- and he hates the implications of it. 

Gordie can see Circhester, now. The rising buildings are stark against the mountainous backdrop, his stadium imposing and bold, and the rising steam from the hot springs turns many streets into a haze. He knows his fans-- the ones who couldn't get to Wyndon for the match, arguably the nicer of the bunch-- will be waiting for when he lands, so he spends a few moments to try and regain his composed demeanour, his telltale grin, that glint in his eyes behind his sunglasses. 

The taxi lands, and Gordie thanks the driver with a simple "cheers, mate," before stepping out into the cool air of his hometown. His fans are already around the taxi, excitably cheering despite the loss he'd taken at Wyndon Stadium. Gordie pauses a moment, before reaching into a pocket and retrieving a pen. 

"You guys after some autographs?" Gordie grins brightly, and his fans cheer more. "I'll take that as a 'hell yeah'!" 

As he gives out autographs, he watches the way that the fans at the front of the crowd take their autograph, duck back into the crowd and natter excitedly to their friends, letting those behind them move forward. Of course, Gordie knows not all of his fanclub is as rabid as the ones who manage to get to Wyndon, hellbent on making up rumours and berating other Gym Leaders just for being there-- but this solidifies it in his mind. A lot of his fans are just… nice people, who like watching him battle, who cheer him on without getting  _ weird  _ about it. 

Once the crowd peters out into a few stray fans, Gordie feels… a lot more comfortable with himself. Thoughts of how his fans acted in Wyndon are long gone, his conversation with Melony no longer nagging his mind, and instead, he can focus on the next thing that needs his attention. 

He has a date with Milo, and that means he needs to get ready for it, even if it's in a few hours time. He waves to the last remainders of his fans after giving them their autographs, before heading back to his apartment. 

The small scale and unassuming look is most of the reason why his more… vigorous fans haven't found it yet. That's a blessing, to him, even if he's low on space. Once he's inside the door, he tosses his jacket onto a hook by the door, and practically collapses on the sofa. It's been a long day, and just a few moments relaxing won't go too misplaced. Gordie releases his Shuckle from his Pokeball, holding him close and letting the small Rock-type nuzzle his face. Then, he pulls his Rotom Phone out of his pocket. 

"Rotom, wake me in an hour, will you?"

"Zzzzure thing, big man!"

And with that, Gordie finds himself drifting off to sleep on his sofa, cuddling with his Shuckle. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Wakey-wakey, eggzzzz and bake-y!" Rotom's shrill tone jolts Gordie out of his nap, and he looks around the room a little confusedly. Silt, still cuddled in his arms, pokes his head out from inside his shell, looking at the offending Rotom with a tired gaze. After a few moments of looking around, Gordie lets his head fall back onto the cushion, an imprint on his cheek of the patterned cushion he’d been asleep on. “Get up, zzzzleepyhead!”

"Give us a second…" Gordie pulls himself off the sofa sluggishly, picking up Silt and cuddling him close to his chest. "Okay, I'm up… I'm gonna, uh… shower real quick."

"Don't take too long! Time'zzzz ticking!" 

Gordie places his Shuckle back onto the sofa, wrapping him in part of the blanket so that he's comfortable. Then, of course, he heads off to shower. It's a quick one, as expected-- warm, not cold. He'd prefer against showering cold unless entirely necessary. Even if a warm shower always makes him a little tired, Gordie knows he can  _ probably  _ rub the sleep out of his eyes in the taxi journey over to Turffield. Once he's out of the shower, he doesn't bother touching up and restyling his hair; he dries it, pulls it into a ponytail, and leaves it at that. He already knows that if his... worse fans see it, they'll go  _ mad _ . 

Ugh. He’ll just try and ignore them.

He dresses for comfort, now-- not anyone else, he's not going out for people to see him, he's going out to see his boyfriend and spend time with him. Gordie spends a few moments pacing about, repeating to himself that this  _ isn't  _ for anyone else. This is for him and Milo, and whatever anyone else thinks doesn't matter. A grey hoodie and jeans is a hard look for his fans to fawn over-- at least, he thinks it is. Gordie doesn't really want to think about _if_ they can fawn over it. 

He steps out into Circhester's cool air with both hands in his pockets, one hand tightly gripping the single Pokeball he's got on him-- Shuckle, of course. He'll be able to calm himself down on the taxi ride over to Turffield, and having Silt with him will help that-- as well as offer a chance to pass the time without having to worry about checking any social media. He can't really imagine what's going around after his loss in Wyndon. 

Gordie's a little careful about which taxi he flags down, and where. His nap has to have given most of his fans time to return to Circhester, and that means they could be  _ anywhere _ ; he doesn't want to fuel more theories and discussions about what he's up to. By now, he  _ really _ wishes his fans would stop trying to pry into his private life. Nonetheless, he flags down a taxi and quietly informs the driver that he's headed for Turffield. 

Once they're in the air, the voice of the driver crackles through the intercom. 

"So, Gym Leader, why Turffield?" 

Gordie has half the mind not to respond-- but he wasn't raised like that. "It's quiet-- far from the noise of a city like Circhester."  _ And I'm visiting my boyfriend.  _ "It helps my head after a loss." 

"It's a right nice little town, isn't it?" The driver speaks a little softer, but the intercom still crackles. "Think if I wasn't born in Circhester, I'd love to live in Turffield."

_ I'd like to live in Turffield with Milo…  _ "I can see why. There's a lot of appeal to a town like that-- and I really see it."

"Gym Leader Milo's a bit of a cutie too, isn't he?" The driver continues, and Gordie feels his body tense up. "I mean, even though he's a farm boy, I'm sure there are a lot of people who'd like to date someone like him."

_ Even though he's a farm boy…?  _ "I can tell you for a fact, he's not got a fanclub like me."  _ For starters he probably doesn't feel like he has to hide a big part of himself.  _ "But, he's my best mate, and I'd never change that for the world."

There's a small lull in the conversation, before the driver speaks again. "That's a right nice thing of you to say about someone. Suppose you're heading over to see him?" 

"Yeah. We've been planning on meeting up for weeks now-- Wyndon doesn't really cut it if you want time to talk to your friends."

"I'll bet." There's a pause. "Approaching Turffield now, where'd you like me to land?" 

"The Poke-Center is fine. Milo might be waiting for me there."

There's a hum in response, and Gordie can feel the cab slow, before coming to a complete halt against the floor. Gordie takes a moment to readjust what he's wearing, before climbing out the taxi with a "cheers, drives", and allowing himself to take in the evening air. 

Turffield has a slight warmth to it, unlike Circhester. The way the cool breeze seems to strike him is almost like home-- something he could get used to, definitely. While he spends a few moments getting lost in his senses, his thoughts, his feelings, there's the quiet sound of dirt and gravel underfoot-- Gordie turns towards the source, and he's met by a bright, sunshine smile from Milo. 

"Evening, mate. Had a good trip over?" Milo holds back on hugging-- they've already discussed, in public, Gordie should initiate, to make sure he feels safe. 

"Pretty good, aye." Instead, Gordie places a hand on Milo's shoulder, already beginning to walk towards his house. He's… impatient to be able to hug Milo, and to kiss him. The privacy of Milo's home is perfect. "How was your match in Wyndon?" 

"Lost to Raihan, second round. You?" 

"Ness took me out in the first round." Gordie shrugs. "Haven't quite figured out what I'm doing with held items, yet. When I do, it's gonna be like battling a whole new me."

There's a quiet giggle from Milo. "I don't want a new you." In the look Milo gives him is something unspoken-- a quiet tone just letting him know that Milo loves him for who he is, no matter what. 

Gordie smiles gently at that. Honestly, he wants to kiss his cheeks, hold his hand, lift him into the air and feel nothing but pure euphoria as the two of them hang out. For now, however, the two hold back-- Gordie's not sure if he's going to want to let go of Milo once he gets to cuddle him-- instead resigning themselves to thinking about how much they'll get to cuddle and kiss once they're in the privacy of Milo's home. 

It's not far to Milo's house, but as soon as the two are through the door--  _ and _ it's shut behind them-- Gordie pulls Milo into a tight hug, resting his head against Milo's. The quiet sound of his boyfriend's breath, the feeling of his chest rising and falling, the pair of hands clumsily shoved under his shirt and pressed against his back-- it's everything he's been missing, compiled into one small action. They stay there for a few minutes, just taking in everything about the other, before Gordie reluctantly pulls back. 

"Got all that out your system, mate?" Milo says, jokingly. He's been missing it, too. 

"Nah." Gordie pulls Milo's arms a little. "Come on, let's get comfortable somewhere."

The two wander into Milo's living room, and Gordie lies down on the sofa. A minute or so of adjusting, and Gordie motions for Milo to come join him, pulling him down to lay on top of him. Milo crosses his arms on Gordie's chest, resting his chin on them and looking at Gordie with a fond gaze. In turn, Gordie lets one hand work its way into Milo's hair, gently playing with those soft peach curls. They're both silent as they take in everything about the other for the umpteenth time-- it never feels old, it's always an oddly refreshing and relaxing experience-- and Milo lets out a long, relaxed sigh.

"Arceus… I really love you, Gordie. I really, really do."

There's a small hum from Gordie, calm and comforted, before he speaks. "I really love you too, Milo. Everything about you."

“You’re always too kind.” Milo chuckles lightly, shifting slightly from his position. 

"Are you comfortable? You wanna like… maybe lie down on the bed?" Gordie notes the expression on Milo's face when he stretches a little-- something's hurting slightly, but he doesn't know what. 

"No, no. We shouldn't-- we haven't eaten yet, and we need to cook, and then we can--" 

"You're always so tightly wound. Milo, sweetheart…" Gordie can see that Milo doesn't look comfortable at all. "Come on, you plonker. How about you lie down on the bed, and I'll give you a massage."

"What about food--?" 

"We can just order something. I don't mind it, really-- I just wanna make sure you're comfortable."

"Mmn." Milo seems a little less than pleased at the idea, but he nods gently. "Alright… but I'm not letting this become a regular thing."

"What, the takeaway or the massage?" Gordie smiles a little devilishly, and Milo gently hits his arm. 

"The takeaway! I don't mind you giving me a massage--" 

"Then stand up, you  _ plonker! _ You've gotta get on the bed before I can give you a massage.”

Milo climbs off of Gordie slowly, grabbing his hand and gently pulling him to his feet as well, leading him into the bedroom. There’s a small smile on his face, and Gordie can’t really help but lean forwards and kiss Milo as they walk-- with his lack of focus, Gordie stubs his toe on the doorframe and pulls back hastily, and Milo  _ instantly _ looks worried.

“Gordie! Are you alright?”

Gordie lifts his leg and holds where he stubbed his foot, but there’s a slight grin on his face, despite the pain he’s obviously in. “Yeah! Yeah-- no worries, no worries.” He chuckles slightly-- but Milo still looks worried for him. “Sweetheart, I stubbed my toe, it’s nothing. Come on, I wanna give you your massage.”

Milo seems less than pleased about Gordie’s nonchalance, and the look he gives to him makes Gordie scratch the back of his neck sheepishly. “I promise you, I’m fine, Milo.”

“I know, I know, but… you’ve been working yourself half to death recently. You need to relax as much as I do, mate.” Milo presses a small kiss to Gordie’s cheek.

He appreciates the worry, at least. His trainers had picked up on it too-- somehow, he felt as if he had far more to prove at this moment than any other time. Maybe it's because what he's been thinking about… 

Milo gently squeezes his hand, smiling softly at him before taking off his shirt and laying down on the bed. That brings him back into the moment, and he settles himself above Milo, practically sat on his thighs and leaning forwards, over him. 

When Gordie's fingers gently start working the muscles in his back, Milo relaxes-- he lets out a long, relieved sigh as tension in his body just seems to dissipate under such warm, tender touch. There's a long exhale from his nose, and he turns his head, looking up at Gordie with a loving gaze. At such a sight, Gordie leans down and kisses Milo's cheek, hearing his boyfriend hum happily. 

"Comfortable?" Gordie continues massaging Milo, starting now to kiss where his fingers had lingered moments before. 

"Always, when I'm with you." Milo can feel all of the gentle love that Gordie's putting into the massage, the firm yet careful touches to muscles that felt unloved, and he lets out a low groan as Gordie works a particularly tight point. Gordie kisses it gently, pressing his palm into the point and rubbing slowly, feeling the way Milo's body responds so positively. 

"That one feeling better?" Gordie can't help but chuckle a little. 

"Yeah… ta, Gordie." Milo mumbles into the bedsheets. He could get lost in this, that reassuring touch, his boyfriend's gentle voice lulling him almost to sleep. "You're amazing."

Gordie hums at that, though Milo can just about see the expression on his face-- he's thinking hard about something. "Something on your mind, mate?" Milo's voice is punctuated with a soft sigh, his back trying to arch into Gordie's touch. 

"I've just been thinking a little about… this." He doesn't pause long-- nor does his touch linger anymore. "I… kinda wanna… Y'know. Go public with it."

Milo hums in recognition of what he says-- it's up to Gordie, ultimately. He's happy to, as long as Gordie is. "If you want to, I'm happy for us to. Who were you thinking of telling first?" 

Gordie presses his palms into Milo's back, grounding himself on the hot skin of his boyfriend. "Was thinking about, uh… you know the sponsorship gala that's coming up--?" 

"The one where we all have to dress fancy like and talk formally?" Milo seems less than entranced at the idea. "I'm just… worried for you. For us. Your fans are persistent…"

"I know, Milo, but… I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't believe in us, and I know we'll be okay." Gordie closes his eyes, now, leaning his head into the nape of Milo's neck, still occasionally pressing his thumbs into tight spots in Milo's back. "We can think on it, if you want."

"It's your choice, Gordie. I know you value privacy, and having people pry into your life--  _ our life together _ \-- could… be annoying." There's a squeak out of Milo when Gordie presses hard, and he blushes darkly. "S-sorry, that one… felt good to get out."

"Ha, it's no problem, Milo. You don't have to apologise." Gordie presses a kiss to Milo's neck. "I get where you're coming from. I just… I think I'm ready to let people know, now." 

"I'm glad that… you feel comfortable about it. It-- it means a lot that you feel that way, especially with… someone like me." Milo sighs again, softly. He's getting so comfortable, his accent slips back into the way he speaks. "I  _ know _ you're going ta make this sound lewd, but… yer  _ super _ good with your hands."

Gordie  _ snorts _ at that. Milo's right, he's taking it the lewd way. "Aw, come on Milo, could'a just said what you wanted."

"Gordie!" Milo waves his arm back, gently patting Gordie's thigh. "We should at  _ least _ have tea first."

"Sure thing." Gordie sits back, climbing off of Milo and letting him roll onto his back, and sit up.

"Arceus, yer a convincing bloke." Milo looks at Gordie jokingly. "Sweet talk yer way into the major leagues with that?" 

Another small chuckle comes from Gordie. "You bet. Now come on, let's get something to eat."


	3. Chapter 3

Gordie wakes up, happily wrapped in warm blankets, cuddling his boyfriend. They're comfortable, and in the slight haze of morning, Gordie lets his fingers wander up Milo's back, admiring the toned muscles, and the way his body responds to touch. Milo's still sound asleep, looking serene-- even in his sleep, there's a soft smile on his face, especially as he cuddles closer to him. 

God, it's mornings like these that Gordie lives for. Milo in his arms, sunlight streaming through the curtains, those soft, strong arms around his chest-- it feels like it's straight out of a storybook. Gordie leans down gently to press a kiss into Milo's hair-- all the way onto his forehead-- and he stirs a little, his legs naturally trying to tangle with Gordie's. 

There's an incomprehensible mumble from Milo as he presses his face deeper into Gordie's chest, and the hands on his back slide low, pulling Gordie's stomach against Milo's. Gordie almost wants to say something, but ruining that serene morning Milo's going to wake up to-- whenever he wakes up, that is-- sounds far out from what Gordie wants. Instead, he happily lets Milo cuddle closer, their bodies flush and warm together, so comfortable in the embrace, finding solace in one another on a calm, sunny morning. 

Right as Gordie starts closing his eyes again, that pull of sleep and the idea of resting beside his boyfriend becoming far too tempting, Milo speaks a little louder. 

"Time's it?" His voice is still muffled in Gordie's chest, slurred a little by his recent awakening. 

"Uh?" Gordie reaches past Milo to look at his Rotom Phone, squinting a little to try and read the numbers. "S' uh… seven?" Before Milo can even start panicking about the gym, Gordie stops his thoughts. "Sunday."

Milo nods slow. "Awright…" He cuddles back into Gordie's chest, pressing kisses against hot skin. "Y'got a soft chest…"

"Thanks, grew it myself." Gordie chuckles softly, and Milo seems to match it. 

"Mm… love you, Dee." Milo pauses a moment, squeezing Gordie's soft hips. It elicits a soft hum from him, and it gives Milo time to think about what he's trying to say. "When should… we get up?" 

"Hmn… soon, possibly. Give us half an hour, yeah? Get some extra time in together."

Milo hums a little, holding Gordie a little tighter. “Y’sure y’don’t wanna get up earlier…? We could make brekkie together.”

“Could turn that on you-- y’sure you wanna get up so early?”

“Feels wrong if I don’t, y’know?” Milo stretches, and Gordie puts a finger on Milo’s chest as he does so. “Hey, don’t you dare tickle me--”

“What, it might wake both of us up!” Gordie chuckles, and Milo pouts at him.

“I’m awake! It’s you who’s not!” Milo sits up, yawning a little as he does so. “I’m gonna shower.”

“Mmn. Guess I’ll wait for you-- you won’t be long, yeah?”

“‘Course not. As long as you’re not too long in there either, we’ll be able to make breakfast together.”

“Just for you, mate.”

Milo, as expected, doesn’t take long in the shower-- and neither does Gordie. Within half an hour, the two are in the kitchen together, almost ready for the day-- just working on making breakfast. Since the two have sunk into a gentle silence, Milo’s considering breaking it.

"So what were you thinking about wearing to the big do, then?" Milo's question's simple, as the two of them move around each other with relative ease, preparing various parts of a meal to share.

"You know me. I was thinking like... maybe a waistcoat and tie-- my jacket as a kind of blazer, since it's sorta my staple, y'know?" Gordie glances at Milo, and he nods. "What about you?"

"Was thinking of... stepping out a little. Maybe a white button-up with suspenders. Dark green, maybe, and match the trousers."

Gordie hums. "Love a colour scheme, we do."

"We do!"

"I was thinkin' about the tie, though, since... well, you remember secondary, yeah?"

Milo laughs a little. "Vaguely. Spent a lot more of my time worrying about the farm than my grades."

"Ha! I spent more of mine worrying about getting super good at gymnastics and ice skating." Gordie waves his hand. "That aside though, you remember those super uncomfortable uniforms we had to wear?"

Milo pauses for a moment, as if digging up a long lost memory. "I do, yeah. We had a blue and green tie, kilts, if you'll believe it, and this thick wooly jumper we always had to wear, even on hot days. Almost killed me, it did."

"Don't get me started on the kilts, mate, we had 'em too. Or, something to that effect-- tartan and all that." Gordie stops where he is, standing straight. "So, we had these blazers and ties-- black and red, I think the colour scheme was."

"Black and red?"

"Yeah. Striking, right? So I had this black and red striped tie-- had to be longer than three stripes, else you could get detention for not wearing your uniform right."

"Bet that got you a bunch." Milo laughs again, and Gordie pouts.

"Maybe so! But what I'm getting on is, the blazer was just this solid black-- great for if we were going rogue and playing Murder-- with these red accents on the lapels."

"Starting to see where you got your fashion tips from, mate."

"Milo!"

"Keep going, Dee. I'm just ragging you." Milo smiles softly. "You know I don't mean it."

"I do, yeah..." Gordie shakes his head. "So like, I'm stood there in Circhester cold, this black and red kilt on, white button-up, my tie stupid long 'cause it was easier than making it short as fuck, blazer on-- that memory keeps striking me whenever I think about wearing a tie."

"Considered the bowtie?"

"What, and look like Kabu? No offense to him of course, but, I'm not a grandpa, Milo."

“I don’t know, I think a bowtie could look nice on you.” Milo puts his hands up near to Gordie’s neck as if he were adjusting a bowtie that isn’t there. “Dashing, maybe.”

“You sure? I don’t feel as if it’s my style--” He can’t deny though, hearing Milo call him  _ dashing _ is making him blush. “Was uh… thinking of talking to Ness about it anyway.”

“Oh, she’s definitely the one to go to. All that modelling work-- I’m sure she’d find an ideal fit for the  _ both _ of us.” Milo reaches past Gordie now, to grab something from the shelves. “Watch the pan for me?”

“Sure thing.” Gordie steals a small kiss off Milo as he leans past, ducking under his arm so he can stand by the pan and make sure none of the pancakes burn. “So I guess my plan today is to head off to Hulbury and have a natter with Nessa. Maybe convince her out to the Captain’s Table.”

“You a big seafood fan, then?” Milo heads into the pantry for a second, just to grab what’s necessary to make some scotch pancakes. “I don’t think I’m much a fan of it… eating some raw and some not-- and if they’re not prepared right, all that  _ grittiness… _ ”

“No, no, I see where you’re coming from-- just feel like I could go for some today. It’s not an everyday thing, of course.” Gordie flips the pancake, watching as it lands perfectly back into the pan. "Hey, first try!" 

"Just like you on the pitch." Milo smiles, kissing Gordie on the cheek. "So that's today's plan for you?" 

"Guess so. Head back to Circhester tonight to… alleviate suspicion about me being down here."

"Mm. Your fans really do pry, don't they?" Milo sounds unhappy about the fact. "Everyone knows you and I are friends, don't they?" 

"W-well, yeah, but--" The sheer amount of things he's heard in his fanclub leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. "--you know how it is-- rabid fans and their… shipping, and whatnot."

The two fall silent as they finish cooking, even to the point they're eating in a mildly uncomfortable silence, driven mostly by the worry of just  _ what _ Gordie's fanclub might think, say, or worst of all,  _ do.  _ For a long moment, Gordie reconsiders his plan to come out-- maybe a grand gesture like that might be a little… over the top, or far too much for such an event. But… he's been stewing on it for years, ten by now, and he's finally felt ready to tell everyone. It only feels right if he does it in some grand and extravagant way-- that's just his style, at the end of the day-- and he's sure the other Gym Leaders will back him up. Probably. 

Not sure about Melony, yet. He can't ever be sure about that. 

He's chewing his pancakes slowly by now, and Milo's watching quietly. His hand reaches out, and Milo gently rubs his thumb across Gordie's knuckles, hopeful to offer him comfort in whatever he's thinking about. Best not to speak while he's thinking-- he doesn't want to derail Gordie's thoughts any. Milo knows just how hard it is to think sometimes, and Gordie must have so much on his mind, being a Gym Leader so much higher up the roster than him. 

When Gordie's focus seems to be back in the room, Milo offers him a small smile. "Think you really need to put some time into looking after yourself, Gordie." His voice is tender, but slightly firm. "I know how competitive you get, but you need some time for yourself."

There's a moment where Gordie reflects on what Melony had said the day before--  _ You can always shut Circhester Gym if you need time to think _ \-- but hearing it from his boyfriend instead of his mum… makes it different. The spiteful voice that had screamed not to show weakness-- to soldier on, despite the pain-- is now silent, his stubborn fighting spirit flagging when faced against Milo's observation and subsequent suggestion. Something about him just changes the way he thinks, and Gordie's not sure if he knows how, or why. 

"I know…" Is what Gordie thinks to say, minutes after Milo had spoken. "It's just… hard to find the time."

"I know, sweetheart." There's something understanding in Milo's voice, but he doesn't justify it at all. "You have… three days off, not including today, right?" 

"Uh-- yeah. Tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday."

"Take some time out for yourself on Wednesday-- or Friday if you're planning to get your suit sorted on Wednesday."

Oh, the suit. Right. He hadn’t been thinking about that. All he can think to do is nod as Milo speaks-- he  _ does _ want to take time for himself, but having to be in top shape for the next League season, making sure all his Trainers are alright, that everything works in the Gym, that  **_he’s_ ** presentable enough to get the sponsorships necessary to make sure that everything can be kept up to date as the battle environment shifts, considering the influx of Pokemon on the Isle of Armor-- and that’s not even mentioning what might be allowed from the Crown Tundra, as soon as reports are released on it. Gordie just expects more Ice-types-- more Pokemon for Melony to use, and for him to have an advantage over. He’s happy, for now, with the idea of Lycanroc, and those whispers he’s heard about Aggron perhaps being allowed into the Region. A sturdy Pokemon like that could make easy work of some Pokemon that make his Gym  _ far _ too easy for some Trainers.

It’s a lot for him to think about, little time for him to take to himself. He’s sorting out paperwork tomorrow, drilling his Trainers on what needs to be done around the Gym-- he  _ has _ to meet with Melony and discuss what Circhester’s future is looking like, what’s planned with the Gym itself, maybe it’ll give him a chance to apologise for how sharp he’s acting, or act as a catalyst for a larger-scale break in his control over his anger. It’s hard to tell.

Wednesday, he’ll sort the suit out, probably get tips from Nessa later today-- hopefully she won’t just tease him about the fact he might want to pair a bit with Milo, as cliche as it sounds-- and Thursday he’s back in the Gym again, which means making sure all his Trainers are in top shape, seeing if he can’t get them a few more Pokemon. Maybe boost their numbers to two, if he’s allowed. Wendy’s been interested in his Rockruff, so maybe he should get her a Lycanroc-- and Ollie might like a Stonjourner, or a Rhydon. Once again caught too much in his thoughts, Gordie wonders why so few Rock-type Pokemon are even  _ allowed _ in Galar-- he really had to mesh with one of the harder types to work with…

Milo can see how deep in thought he is. Gordie’s stopped eating by now, staring off into the nothingness between their plates. He doesn’t want to surprise him out of those thoughts-- whatever they are, they clearly mean a lot to him, and it’s always best to leave anyone be when they’re thinking. A gentle squeeze to Gordie’s hand informs him that he’s still there, and Gordie’s eyes focus on him for a moment, a small smile gracing his face, before he’s back in his own head, his own world. 

Friday makes for his only free day, as much as there are things to do. He needs to focus on himself, then-- like Milo said. Whatever he can do then will have to do-- Saturday makes for the sponsorship gala. No Gym duty, but preparing everything else, keeping up airs, putting himself in the public eye-- and coming out to everyone. Coming out to the whole of the Galar Region.

It’s terrifying, even just to think about. His hand squeezes Milo’s, and he shakes his head slightly, letting himself return to the room. His food’s cold, by now, but with so much on his mind, he’s barely even hungry.

“You heading off soon, then?” Milo speaks gently, and Gordie nods. “Hope you get everything sorted out-- I know it’s tough.”

“Yeah. No worries, though. I’ll message you tonight?”

“If I’m not too busy working the farm, yeah. I’m already late out-- not sure if mum and dad’ll be so happy about it.” He’d explained he was having a friend over, but then again, they’re always trying to make sure he’s working the farm-- so much so that they weren’t much fans of him becoming a Gym Leader. “You get on, alright? We’ve both got things we’re putting off, now!”

At Milo’s small laugh, Gordie smiles a little wider, leaning across the table to give him a small kiss. “Alright, I’ll talk to you tonight! Don’t work yourself too hard in the fields!”

“And you don’t work yourself too hard either!” Milo can’t help but return the banter.

Soon enough, Gordie’s out the door, waving with his bright, signature grin on his face. While Milo waves back, his other hand is gently patting his Appletun, watching as the small Pokemon looks between where Gordie had disappeared, to his Trainer.

“Tun?”

“I know, Tunny. I worry about him, too.” Milo picks up his Appletun, cradling him to his chest as he exits the house, locking the door behind him. “I know this means everything to him, the Gym, Circhester, coming out… working things back out with his mum…” As Milo continues, Tunny seems to nuzzle into his arms. “As much as he’s my boyfriend, I know he doesn’t like people…  _ prying _ into the way he thinks. I want to help him more, but I can’t unless he lets me. I’m not gonna overstep his boundaries like that.”

Tunny seems to waggle his tail in agreement, so Milo continues.

“I know you’re suggesting he open up a little more, since clearly everything in his head is making him unfocused, or-- like he doesn’t know where he’s meant to go in life, but… I mean, you remember how he was when we were kids? I know it was so long ago, but  _ surely _ you remember. He was open, and earnest, and he genuinely seemed like he was enjoying himself… and then he had that argument with his mum, and he hasn’t really been the same since.” Milo sighs, taking one hand away from his Appletun to push open the gate to the orchard. “Sometimes I wonder if he’s realized that. Holdin’ onto a grudge so long makes ‘im bitter. S’no wonder when I said he was like a lemon ‘e thought I meant that, when I was gettin’ at ‘im bein’ refreshin’.”

There’s a small snuffling noise from Tunny, and Milo looks down at him tenderly. “I’m hopeful as you, mate. I hope him comin’ out and… maybe sortin’ things out with mrs Melony-- his mum, I mean-- will brighten ‘im up like a Sunny Day.” He gently places Tunny onto his shoulder as he starts checking over the trees in the orchard. “Don’t know, though. I support ‘im, no matter what, of course, but… I wanna see ‘im smile again, like he used to.”

When Milo shrugs, Tunny beeps in indignation. “I jus’ hope he’s alright-- an’ that this all works out for us.”


	4. Chapter 4

The silence in the orchard is well taken. The morning’s been rather a rough one, despite starting off so well. Milo’s well aware, now, that Gordie’s emotions have been keeping him unfocused-- it makes sense, considering the few messages he’s received since before Gordie had arrived. Nessa had asked him why he didn’t seem like himself-- she noted how, though he acted as if everything was fine, there was a lot more panic in his expression during the battle, and that he hadn’t been picking moves that would have utilized weak spots-- as if he hadn’t been trying at all.

Tunny's been sat silently on his shoulder, watching gently as Milo prunes some of the tree branches, his fingers dextrous compared to what people expect. 

It's all about subverting that, right? It's about proving you're more than the sum of your parts-- that they're more than what they look like, and that they're… well, _more._ As he thinks, a voice catches Tunny's attention, and he beeps gently, nudging Milo's neck. 

"Excuse me, Mr Gym Leader Milo," they begin. It's a surprise for anyone to be out here-- the orchards are rather secluded, so why would someone be up here? And it's not a voice he recognises… so there's even less reason. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?" 

"Hm? Go ahead…?" Milo's not sure how to respond. It's weird-- did they follow him up here? 

"I couldn't help but overhear you mentioning, um, a boyfriend, could you elaborate?" 

Uh oh. It's the press. He has to think quickly, now. 

"I were just talkin' ab-- was just talking to myself about Leon and Raihan. They're quite a couple." Milo smiles, albeit there's tangible fear on his face. His smile is uncomfortable, almost pained. If he slips up, everything could go wrong. 

"Mmhm, mmhm… and, you mentioned Mrs Melony as well, didn't you?" 

"Er-- I heard a rumour she might have a new boyfriend."

_Oh, Zacian's Blade. Why did I say that?_

"A rumour about her having a new boyfriend… where'd you hear that, if I might ask?" 

"Up in Wyndon, er, yesterday. During the exhibition matches. Just… mutterings I happened to overhear." _God, this is such an elaborate lie, someone's gonna call me out for it-- if it's not the media, it'll be Melony herself_ \-- Milo smiles again, still worried. "Did you, uh, follow me up here?" 

"Follow?" They sound surprised. "No, no, I just happened to be passing by, heard you talking and thought this'd be a _great_ chance to get a scoop nobody's got."

Milo finally gets a good look at them-- it's that woman from Route Five-- Gillian, he thinks. He didn't really expect to be… getting an interview at this time in the morning. 

"Oh, I should ask, are you aware that Gym Leader Gordie and Gym Leader Melony had another argument up in Wyndon?" She continues without waiting for Milo to even process what he's being told. "Do you know why they may have been arguing? You're one of Gordie's closest friends after all-- has he confided anything with you?" 

Well. He _wasn't_ aware of there being another argument up in Wyndon-- surely that's not information anyone should be spreading, right?-- and besides, it's still not his place to know. 

"Er, no. He didn't say anything about it to me. And-- I mean, if he had-- it's not my information to share. He trusts me to keep his secrets, and he keeps mine, too." There's a small frown growing on his brow. "Best not to push it any farther. I've an orchard to look after, and I'd rather like to get back to it." 

Seemingly, she can sense the hostility in his voice, and she's taken aback. Nonetheless, she nods. "Of _course!_ Not a problem, Mr Milo. You've given me the information I needed." Her smile is terrifyingly calm, as if she's got a good idea as to how to sensationalise what Milo had just told her. "Thank you for your time!" 

She's quick to leave, running down the hill excitedly, likely to write up the "big scoop" and once again sensationalise what Milo had said. God, he's still reeling that he _lied_ about hearing a rumour of Melony getting a boyfriend. He can't imagine how badly his words are gonna be twisted. 

Seemingly noting Milo's discomfort, Tunny bops his head against Milo's cheek, beeping softly at him. It's calming, and Milo nods slowly, calmly. "You're right, Tunny. It's almost irrational to worry about what ifs. We just have to keep going." 

He pauses again, however. “...Should I warn Gordie…?”

* * *

“Heyyyy Nessa!” Gordie’s still got that bright smile on his face as he walks across Route Five, holding his Rotom-phone to his ear-- seemingly not noticing the missing pair of journalists.

“Gordie _fucking_ Jones, _why_ is it _always_ you this early in the morning?” Nessa sounds exhausted on the other side of the line. “I thought you liked sleeping in!”

“I do like sleeping in, yeah, but I can’t exactly say no when I’m staying with Milo.”

“Oh of course-- explains your sunny disposition, loverboy.” Nessa rolling her eyes is almost tangible in her voice. "So what's your reason for waking me so bright and early, then? Here to gush about how much you adore your boyfriend?" 

"Ness--! I wanted to talk fashion with you. Y'know, for the gala."

"Oh fashion, fashion, fashion. You know Opal was a model too, back in her day?" 

"Her day was a good twenty years before I was born, Ness. Think it's a bit outdated now."

"If I weren't one of your besties, I'd tell her you said that."

"Nessa Lockwood, you wouldn't _dare._ "

"Going for my full name, now? It's on, Gordie."

"I don't even wanna fight, I'm just here to annoy you. That's why I exist." Gordie's grinning, though Nessa can't see it. "Meet me out by the Captain's Table? I'll be there in ten." 

"Fine, if you're paying, I'll be there." Despite her tone, Gordie knows Nessa isn't _that_ annoyed at him-- more annoyed that she's awake at nine in the morning on a Sunday. It'd get him annoyed if it weren't for the fact that Milo is the reason. 

“Of course I’m gonna pay! What do I look like to you, skint?” He doesn’t want her to answer that. It’s been a rough few past months. When he knows he’s got sponsorships, he’ll be happier spending money.

“Fine, _fine,_ I’m on my way. Don’t keep me waiting.”

Nessa hangs up, and Gordie continues on his path down Route Five, just looking around at his surroundings. He hasn’t been out here in a while-- most of the time, he’d just take a taxi out to get around, but he feels more like walking today. Or… maybe he feels more like _running._ After a few experimental steps, Gordie breaks into a sprint, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing past him, of that freedom to do as he wants.

Is this how it’s gonna feel when he finally comes out? Is he gonna feel free, like nothing can stop him?

He sure hopes so.

Route Five passes in a blur, and soon, Gordie’s running through Hulbury-- it’s surprisingly busy for this time of day, especially on _Sunday_ , but he doesn’t think so much of it. After all, Circhester’s always busy, no matter the day-- basically everything’s open anyway. There’s a slight glance at the market-- he hasn’t been there in a while, maybe if he has time, he’ll pop in and see what’s about before heading back to Circhester-- but his attention soon snaps back to what’s before him. Stood in front of the Captain’s Table, is Nessa, arms crossed, muttering to herself.

“Ness!” Gordie draws to a halt in front of her, and she raises an eyebrow at him.

“You said _ten_ minutes.” Nessa shakes her head, though there’s a joking tone to her voice. “It’s been twelve. Better not make a habit of being late, Gordie.” She waggles her finger, though barely stifles a laugh.

“Now you just sound like my mum.” 

“Is that an insult? Or am I meant to take it as a heavy-handed compliment about my strength and capability to hold my own against Pokemon Types that my partners and I are weak to?”

There’s a shrug from Gordie. “Take it however you wanna. S’not like I’m gonna be late to something that the media’s covering.”

“Compliment it is! Thanks, Gordie.”

“No problem. Anyway, we should head inside before some media bigwig gets tipped off that we’re here. Don’t want them prying any more than they already do.”

“Sometimes you sound like a conspiracy theorist, you know that?” Nessa pushes the door to the Captain’s Table open, glancing back to see if Gordie’s following. “I mean-- I agree with you wholeheartedly. The way that our entire lives is publicised is honestly… _exhausting_. I guess I just got used to it with my modelling career, but still…”

“It’s a little overbearing sometimes. Like I can’t even go on a snack run to Tescos without some microphone-toting prat trying to pry into what I’m doing.” Gordie shakes his head gently. "I can only imagine what the media'll make of this."

The expression on Nessa's face as she looks back at Gordie is one of disgust. It only lasts a moment before she has to turn to one of the waitstaff, though. "Hey, could you get me my regular seat? Just for the two of us. Be mad peng if we got to look across Hulbury."

There's an affirming nod from the waitstaff, and the two are guided to a more enclosed and private booth within the Captain's Table, a screen window effectively blocking the rest of the patrons out. The way that Nessa seems to gracefully get to her seat exemplifies the fact she comes here often-- as if having a regular seat wasn't enough. Gordie, however, shimmies in a little uncomfortably-- table too close to chairs, in this situation-- sitting himself with an expression of unease. 

"Bob's got something like this, too." He says, fingers gently drumming the table as he gets comfortable. "Though, they're separate rooms. Normally there's two, one reserved for a Gym Leader, one for whoever else wants privacy."

"That must help you avoid your mum, I suppose?" 

"A little. Like I say, I don't go out of my way to _prevent_ her from seeing me-- it's more the other way around. I try to prevent myself seeing her, else I might just… lose it."

Nessa hums softly at Gordie’s explanation. She’s known him a while-- and she _had_ been one of the people he’d gone to after the first argument with Melony. Again, the fact that everything relating to Gym Leaders gets televised and completely torn apart by the media… meant that _everyone_ had seen what had happened. Of course she’d understand why Gordie wouldn’t want to see his mum-- and risk all of that happening again.

“You’ve got a great view from this booth. I can see the lighthouse from here.”

“Smeaton’s Tower, Gordie. You’re in Hulbury, call it by it’s name.”

Gordie shrugs. “Come on, Ness. We don’t get shirty if people don’t call the Hero’s Bath by it’s name--”

“ _You_ and Milo are probably the only two people _outside_ of Hulbury to know it’s real name! _Everyone_ knows what the Hero’s Bath is! You’ll look like an idiot around here if you don’t call it Smeaton’s Tower! _Trust me!_ ”

“Fine-- fine. D’you get to work on upkeep with it? Like-- do you go out there and check everything inside it yourself? I’ve always wondered about that.”

“Do you work on the upkeep of the Hero’s Bath?” Though Nessa means to ask incredulously, Gordie misses that part of her tone.

“I do sometimes, yeah. The stonework needs constant retouching, and we want to keep it in line with how it’s always looked, as well as making sure it has the structural integrity to be enjoyed by generations to come. It’s a landmark of our Region, and I take a lot of pride in looking after it.”

There’s a pause from Nessa. “...oh.”

“I’ll take that as you don’t look after Smeaton’s, then?”

“No, there’s an old family of lighthouse keepers who check on it. I’ve been in there once or twice, but I don’t look after it.”

“Damn. I wonder what it’s like to like… live in a lighthouse or something--”

“Gordie, you wanted to talk about fashion with me. Right now we’re just two gays going on about nothing.”

“Ah-- right. Forgot about that.” Gordie scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. “So, yeah, uh… my plan for the gala was to wear like, a dress shirt, waistcoat, my jacket as a blazer, and I wasn’t sure about a tie…”

“You’re forgetting your trousers, mate. I’m sure this isn’t meant to be _that_ kind of look.”

“Zacien’s blade-- no! I-- well, you’re the fashion model, I guess I’d ask… what you’d suggest.”

“Gordie. I want you to look me in the eyes right now.” Nessa motions to her face. “We haven’t ordered anything. We can’t talk about this seriously unless we’re waiting for food, ‘cause otherwise we’re just not gonna remember to eat.”

“Huh?” Gordie throws her a curious look, before he shakes his head. “Right. Uh… hm.”

“It’s _seafood_ , Gordie. Feel it in your heart. What does your heart want?”

“Nessa, you’re making this sound like I’m staring a Legendary Pokemon right in the eyes.”

“Maybe that’s the point.” Nessa calls a waiter over with a smile. “I’ll have the seared Basculin. And if possible, a glass of ginger beer’s a good palette cleanser. Thank you.”

Once the waiter’s nodded, Nessa motions to Gordie. After a short pause, and a glance between the window, the table, and the waiter, he speaks.

“Could you get me the _largest_ sushi platter you offer? Oh-- and a pepsi. Thanks!”

As the waiter hurries off, Nessa seems to be struggling to hold in a laugh. “Gordie. You _know_ how big that platter is, right?”

“No?”

“We’re gonna be here for like… an hour waiting for you to finish.”

“Listen, I’m the one paying, I don’t mind it. Can we talk fashion now?”

“Sure thing, sure thing. You said a waistcoat and tie, and your regular jacket, yeah?”

“I did, yeah.”

“Well, we love a colour scheme, so maybe, if you had the chance, get a custom waistcoat and tie so that they match the colours. Or alternate, whatever you think would look best. White dress shirt, waistcoat in the same colours as your jacket, but maybe… yeah I think they should be swapped. So the black side of the waistcoat is on the beige side of your jacket, yeah?”

“That sounds pretty good yeah. Trousers the same as the jacket?”

“You’re getting the hang of this! That’d work, yeah.” Nessa pauses, and retrieves her Rotom Phone for a moment.

She’s looking at Gordie’s regular fashion from a video she’d taken during the battle at Wyndon.

“Hm. I hate to say it, but your rings and… necklace… seem a little tacky for something like this.”

“ **_Tacky?_ **”

“Don’t take it personally, mate. This is a professional event and we want to show off to our sponsors-- you don’t normally wear your rings to the event anyway, do you?”

“Well-- _no,_ but _still, Nessa,_ you know how much they mean to me since _I made them._ ”

“I do, I get that, but you asked for my honest opinion. I’d say something that fits with your aesthetic. Tiger’s eye, maybe? Something that’ll have a little glitter to it, but not so much that you stand out like a sore thumb.”

Gordie huffs a little, a sour look on his face. “Fine, I guess that sounds good.”

“Hold on, what’s Milo planning to wear, by the way? Knowing him, it’ll be something modest.”

“White dress shirt and dark green suspenders. Match the trousers.” For a moment, Gordie tilts his head. “Why?”

“Emeralds, then. They’ll look _perfect_ . Oh! Have you considered painting your nails, too? If you went for gold nails, and had some rings with emeralds-- or a necklace, if you’d like-- it’d look _perfect._ ” Nessa starts typing something on her phone. “I’ll tell Milo to get something with a sapphire in it. After all, it’d suit your eyes.”

“I-- are we _really_ planning to foreshadow things like that?”

“What? Trust me, our sponsors don’t pick up on subtleties like that. Nobody picked up me wearing turquoise to match with Sonia.”

“Okay, fair enough. Admittedly, the first few times, I don’t think I picked up on it either.”

“There we have it. So let’s assume our sponsors are idiots, and that the media won’t be focusing well enough to pick on minor things. You’ll be absolutely fine.”

“It’s, uh… funny you should mention people not picking up on it, Ness...” As Gordie begins, Nessa seems to focus a lot more on him. Surely he’s going to say something either completely off the wall, or incomprehensible. She’ll need to focus, otherwise she’ll just miss it all completely.

“I was going to come out. At the Gala, I mean.”

“ _In front of_ **_sponsors?_ ** ” Her incredulous tone makes Gordie flinch back. “Are you out of your fucking **mind?** ”

“I-- _what,_ d’you have a _better_ suggestion?”

“You **_really are_ ** a theatre kid! I don’t even care if you studied drama or not, that is _so far_ a theatre kid move, I might just-- Arceus! You _aren’t_ serious. You can’t be.” Nessa shakes her head. “Tell me that you’re pulling my leg, Gordie.”

“Why the hell do you think it’s such a bad idea?”

“I don’t know! Maybe you should tell _any_ of our other close friends first. Bea? Any other Gym Leader, like maybe Piers? Or Raihan?”

“Two Delibird, one stone, Nessa. I come out at the gala, I inform all of our friends, all the other Gym Leaders, my fanclub, _and_ the media, so that they can’t capitalise on rumours about my sexuality.” Gordie pauses. “Actually I think that’s more four Delibird, one stone. One very large boulder-sized stone. A boulder.”

“Gordie, you _stupid prat!_ This isn’t-- how long have you been thinking this through?”

“Like maybe a week. I think it’s a perfectly fine idea. If everything goes wrong, then obviously I don’t get sponsorships, and I disappear from the public eye, go to live with Milo in Turffield and continue with my work in mining and recovering gems and fossils.”

“Sometimes I wonder how you think all these alternatives through, and yet not the main idea you have.”

“Don’t even ask. I don’t know how I do it either.”

“You’ve _gotta_ get your priorities out straight, dude. I know you ain’t, but you’ve _gotta._ ”

“Listen, I’m gonna do it, if only because I think it’s the only way to actually, y’know… _make_ myself come out.”

Nessa pauses to think. “You _do_ struggle with that.”

“I know. I _have_ been me for the last twenty six years.”

“Fair do’s for you, then. I-- I mean, the other Gym Leaders will support you, I’m sure. I don’t know much about our sponsors--” She taps her foot on the floor. “Yes, some of them support Raihan and Piers and Leon, but still… how many of them _really_ mean it, is the question.”

“Ah, I don’t care, to be honest. I just… I need to get this out, finally. I’ve held onto it for too long and I think I might fucking _explode_ if I don’t. I don’t… want to live in fear anymore, y’know?”

“I get that.”

“Fifteen years of repression is… a lot. I don’t really know who I can trust, and I’ve internalized all this stuff… and I wanna let people know, just like I… wanna fix what happened between me and mum, but I never give myself the chance to. I guess that just makes it… difficult, to--”

Gordie’s cut off by his Rotom Phone ringing. Lifting a finger to show Nessa he probably needs to take it, Gordie retrieves the phone from his pocket, raising his eyebrows as he figures out who’s calling him.

Sascha? That’s odd.

“Sasch? What’s up?”

“Gordman, would you like, care to explain _why_ there’s a rumour that mum’s got a new boyfriend?”

Gordie visibly lurches. “There’s a rumour that _what?_ ”

“That mum’s got a new boyfriend! It’s on the main news-- are you in Circhester? I’ll come over and explain--”

“No, I’m in Hulbury right now-- can you explain _over the phone, please?_ ”

“Hulbury? It’s Sunday, why are you in Hu-- okay, whatever! So like, there’s a rumour, apparently, that mum’s got a new boyfriend. There’s like… no proof of this, _apparently_ it was being thrown around at Wyndon by _somebody_ , but nobody knows where it came from.”

“Okay? I’m assuming by like, how you’ve called me and all, that this _is_ just a rumour.”

“Mum has gone _batshit._ Either she’s annoyed and think that _you_ made this up after whatever happened in Wyndon, _or_ this is real and she’s annoyed someone’s figured it out.”

“Why would Mum want to hide that fact, though? Like-- we’ll assume the first thing you said. I can assure you I _haven’t_ made up a rumour like that. After the battle in Wyndon I just… left. She saw me leave.”

“Fanclub?”

“Oh fuck, my fanclub--”

Nessa raises her eyebrows at Gordie. When she leans forward, chin resting on her hands, it’s obvious she wants to know what’s going on.

“Hold on a second, Sasch, I gotta explain this to Ness.”

“Wait don’t--!”

Gordie pulls the phone away from his mouth, covering the microphone with his hand. “Some prick’s started a rumour that mum’s got a new boyfriend, and she thinks it was _me._ ”

“Oh _yikes._ ” Nessa waves her hand at his phone. “Go on, carry on your conversation. I’ll see if I can find out who.”

He brings the phone back up to his face. “Okay, I’m back Sasch, what were you saying?”

“I was… trying to tell you not to, but I’m gonna guess you did anyway.”

“I’m allowed to tell my friends things.”

“Really suggesting to like… choose words carefully when you meet mum tomorrow to talk about Circhester. Bring a tea she likes. I hear she’s super into Mago and Pecha berry teas.”

“You’re giving me advice to try and calm mum.” Gordie’s voice is flat. “Like I haven’t been doing that for years.”

“Just trying to help, Gords.” Sascha sighs on the other side of the phone. “Listen, I don’t know how long you’re gonna be in Hulbury, but… just be a little careful when you come back to Circhester. Who knows what mum’s gonna do.”

“Thanks for the warning, at least. Think I’d go haywire if I had no idea about it.”

Suddenly, Nessa’s speaking again. “Says the person who wrote the article is Gillian, that camerawoman from Route Five. You passed by there on the way up here, didn’t you, Gordie?”

“Huh? Yeah I passed Route Five. I-- I don’t remember seeing her there.”

“So that means she got the information while _you_ were on your way here. Where could she have gone?”

“Nessa, I’m not really-- hold on. Sascha, I’ll talk to you later, alright? I have things to handle out here.”

“No problem, talk later.”

Gordie slips his phone back into his pocket, and focuses back on Nessa. “So you’re trying to figure out who she could’ve got the information from.”

“I’ll message the other Gym Leaders. What’s your plan now?”

Gordie glances away for half a moment, just as the food arrives.

“I’m gonna… stay here for as long as possible, and go back to Circhester tonight. Lessens the chance of mum finding me.”

“You didn’t start the rumour. Why not explain that to her?”

“You think she’s gonna believe me? Even if I didn’t, maybe one of my fans did. She’d still put that down as me.”

Nessa shrugs gently. As much as she wants to help, it’s not like she really _can._ Aside from finding who started the rumour, it’s all out of her league.

“Good luck, I guess.”

“Thanks. Think I’m gonna need it.”


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning, Gordie. I'm glad you could make it to a meeting this early." Sat across from Gordie is Melony, arms crossed and fixing him with an icy gaze. 

"It's not a problem, mum." He's starting to see what Sascha had said-- she  _ doesn't  _ look happy. "We're here to discuss the future of Circhester, correct?" He has to make sure-- getting involved in an argument about that… rumour doesn't sound ideal. 

"I think there's something much more pressing to discuss. Now, the longer we skirt around it, the longer the Gym is going to be shut. I would like to be back in and guiding my Trainers within the day." Melony's foot taps against the floor, and Gordie nods curtly.

Yes, this  _ is _ going to be about the rumour. "The rumour that's been going around?" Maybe mentioning it will make Melony think he played a larger part in its conception. "I heard about it from Nessa. I spent yesterday in Hulbury talking to her, and she mentioned it offhand."

"Hm." Melony frowns, hand tapping on the table, much like Gordie had done the day before with Nessa. "You heard it from Nessa. And… where did she hear it?" 

"On the news. She pays a lot more attention to things that go on-- I guess that's part of being a model." He's lying, but  _ can Melony tell?  _ "I'm… guessing you heard in a similar way."

"You could say that." The bluntness of Melony's voice makes Gordie unsure. Does she  _ really _ know if he's lying? "Yes, I suppose. What with, well, a swathe of reporters outside my house and attempting to get information."

Oh dear. "Were the uh, triplets disturbed any?" 

"Gordie." Melony's voice is firm once again. "Did you play a part in making this rumour?" 

"No! Zacien's  _ blade _ , no I didn't!" He thinks he might be too defensive… Melony might think he's lying about this. "It started in Wyndon. That's what I heard. And… you saw me leave Wyndon. I wouldn't've had time to start a rumour like that."

"Hm." Again comes Melony's disbelief. While she wants to believe him, the sharpness of his tone on Saturday, as well as his complete absence in Circhester on Sunday, still keeps him as a prime candidate for the beginnings of the rumour. "And your fanclub?" 

"I try to not associate with them, most of the time." Gordie's fingers drum the table in a rhythm as he talks-- he's stressed, this conversation is stressing him out more and more, and he worries what might come of it, should it continue. "I don't know if they'd start something like that, mum. I just don't know."

"You  _ promise _ that you didn't start it?" 

"Of course I do! I've been-- taking time for myself. Like… like you suggested."  _ Like Milo suggested, and forced me to. At least I didn't mind Milo doing so… _

"I'm glad to hear that, at least. I'm going to keep looking for  _ who  _ started this-- I'm going to have a  _ fun _ time at the gala if we don't clear this up." Melony sighs a little forcefully. "Anyway… Circhester's future. What do you expect the city will need in the coming year?" 

Gordie pauses, swallowing loudly. "U-uh… well, we've… been seeing a rise in tourism… so, uh… maybe extending Hotel Ionia? Or building another one?" 

He hadn't even thought about Circhester's future. He's been far too busy thinking about his own plans for the gala, his relationships with people, thoughts of his boyfriend occasionally punctuating the dips in concentration. Despite this, however, Melony seems to consider his thought. 

"Hmm… with many Gym Challengers staying in the Ionia around the same time as people visiting for the battles  _ and _ the natural beauty of our city… yes, I think that's a good idea." Melony nods, and Gordie's taken aback. 

"You do--?!" Then, he composes himself once more, clearing his throat to try and reset how his brain feels. "I-- I mean, I'm glad you agree."

"Having a seperate hotel for Trainers to stay could be an ideal place to sink money into. It would streamline them reaching the gym, and simultaneously, they wouldn't be getting in the way of regular tourists."

Melony nods to herself as she thinks about it. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, sometimes. You  _ do _ have good ideas.”

“What, the problem is that they come outta me? Or that they’re squished in between really  _ bad _ ideas?” Gordie gives a queasy smile-- he’s used to hearing that from the media. It only makes sense he’d internalize it, just like he did all the homophobia he’d heard as a kid.

“No, Gordie! You  _ are _ a smart person! You’re my son, and you’re  _ wonderful. _ You’re strong, and I’m so, so proud of you.”

Despite the sincerity to Melony’s voice, Gordie looks away, staring out the window as if the most interesting thing in the world had just passed by. He doesn’t feel as if he can take it at face value-- they’ve not seen eye to eye for a long time, and why would that change in a few days? 

All he manages to get out is a flat "Sure."

Melony doesn’t take that so well. “What do you mean,  _ sure? _ ”

Gordie almost chokes on his own spit as he realizes what he’s done. His eyes dart between the window, the table, the floor-- he  _ can’t _ look at Melony-- as he rapidly attempts to figure out what he’s going to say. In this moment, his brain’s decided it’s best not to think of anything, and the quiet tap of Melony’s shoe against the floor as she waits for his answer drills into his head.

The longer he takes-- trying to figure out an answer, hoping that  _ something _ might make him exempt from doing so-- the more he can tell Melony is irritated. She’s staring at him, watching each little movement he makes almost scrutinizingly. While the silence draws on, Melony’s expression seems to change from calm, collected surprise, to some kind of fear-- though it lasts barely a second before it’s back to an almost emotionless gaze.

“...dunno.”

"You don't know." Melony raises an eyebrow, and Gordie can feel himself wanting to shrink back into nothingness.

He doesn't respond, aside from a small nod, which Melony doesn't seem to notice. 

"Very well, then. Swiftly onwards, hm?"

Another nod from Gordie, and Melony sighs loudly. 

"The Gym. I'm sure you expected the discussion to come to this." Melony places both hands flat onto the table. "We have two seperate versions of similar puzzles revolving around pitfall traps. There's been a…  _ suggestion,  _ by some people, to  _ change  _ one of them, you know… to  _ suit _ a little more?" 

"...right." He'd not heard these complaints-- whenever Melony says  _ suggestions _ like that, he knows it had been worded as a complaint. "I've, uh, been thinking… like, so… Crustle?" 

"Crustle?" 

"The land-crab with the big chunk of rock on their back, that looks like those diagrams of the earth's crust. I was thinking about like… maybe a labyrinth puzzle with them? Instead of the pitfalls."

_ Something to get me out of your shadow. Something to show that I'm different.  _

"Go on."

"But, see, the problem I felt was that… moving Crustle around so much would be kind of mean. So then I thought about like, a trainer rents out a Coalossal, or a Rhyperior, that'll help them push boulders to open up a pathway to me." Gordie taps the side of his head as he tries to recall the idea he'd had almost two months prior. "But, uh, I thought about how much training that would take for some Pokemon. And… I still haven't picked which one I wanted to use."

He pauses as Melony sits silently, as if thinking about the choices. “Coalossal gets burning hot. Maybe giving them to a trainer would cause them harm. I think Rhyperior’s my best pick, actually.”

Melony nods. “When are you thinking of having this ready by?”

“I’ll let my trainers know the idea. I’ll see how quickly we can train some Rhyperior up for the job-- hopefully within a few months, maybe a year. I’m going to be talking to them tomorrow about Pokemon anyway… was going to ask Leon if we could get some new Pokemon into the gym. You know, boost numbers and all that, considering we’re the sixth gym.”

"Do let me know if you're able." Melony seems to think it's a good idea-- after all, her trainers would  _ surely _ be happy to have more Pokemon on their teams. "It sounds like a good idea."

"Uh-- thanks. I'll-- so, I'm planning to talk to him on, like, the… when we're at the gala. It'll be easier, I th--" 

Gordie's cut off by his Rotom-Phone ringing. Both he and Melony seem surprised at the suddenness of the sound, and Gordie fumbles a little as he retrieves the phone from his pocket, barely even checking who's calling before answering. 

"Hello?"

"Gordie, I'm so, so, so, so sorry! I didn't-- I didn't know what I was saying, it just sorta, like,  _ came out _ without thinkin' and I've no idea how much damage it's caused awready--" 

Hold on. That's Milo. 

"Milo? Slow down a little, I don't get what you're saying--" 

"I-- oh. I though you… okay. Uh, so I… I were under the… impression that you awready knew what was… happening."

There's a moment of thought from Melony, though she can only hear Gordie's side of the conversation. Why would Milo be rushed? He's a relaxed bloke, nothing ever seems to make him need to rush. 

"I… well, there's rather a  _ lot _ going on right now. You might need to be, uh… specific."

"Specific… right, awright, so after you left yesterday, I were up in the orchards with Tunny, and I were approached by a reporter who was  _ eavesdropping _ while I were talkin' to Tunny." Milo pauses, as if he's unsure if he should bother trying to lessen his accent. "'n she says she overheard me talkin' about boyfriends, an' mentionin' Mrs Melony, so I think've somethin' on the spot, as you do…"

Gordie's heartbeat  _ stops.  _ "Milo. You're saying that…" 

"It's my fault there's a rumour about yer mum havin' a new boyfriend, 'cuz I couldn't think've anythin' else to say." Milo sighs loudly into his phone. "Er, sorry…"

"Milo, da--" Gordie chokes on his own words as he remembers where he is. "Dude. There's nothing to worry about, okay? It's gonna be alright."

"Are you sure? Isn't Mrs Melony annoyed about the rumour? That's what Nessa said--" 

"I mean,  _ yeah,  _ but like… I'm sure if you explain, she'll understand. Text her or something!" 

Melony's face contorts in confusion. Gordie's giving off mixed signals as to what is going on, and she can't quite figure it out. What had he choked back saying? Why was Milo rushed? Who did he need to text? Is he having issues admitting he's in love with a girl? Is that why Gordie seemed so surprised? 

By now, she's already figured out that Gordie has  _ some _ kind of feelings for Milo, though she refuses to ask what, until Gordie feels comfortable saying. 

"I… awright, I trust you, Dee. I'll text her later tonight, I've got to make sure my trainers and their Pokemon are okay." There's a slight sheepishness to Milo's voice. "Sorry fer talkin' yer ear off so suddenly."

"It's no problem, mate. Anytime." Gordie smiles, and hopes that Milo can feel it. "I'll talk to you later, alright?" 

"Yeah! Yeah, sounds good…" Milo takes another moment to pause, as if figuring out how he wants to say bye. "Uh… love you."

Gordie glances at Melony, then down at the table again. "You too."

When Gordie hangs up, Melony raises an eyebrow at him, and he scratches his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, mum. Urgent."

"Of course, dear. Is Milo alright? I'd hate to think of what's made him so frantic."

"Frantic?!" Gordie raises his voice too much-- could Melony hear what was said? Did she know? 

"You mentioned he was talking too fast. I don't know what could ever make him like that-- he's wonderfully  _ chilled _ most of the time. He's almost like Opal in that regard."

Gordie manages to chuff out an odd sound, as if relieved. "Yeah--! He's-- he's okay. Just having a bit of a time, y'know?" 

"Yes, I understand. Around the time of the gala, a lot of Gym Leaders seem to get stressed. I've seen many Leaders in my time, and most of them strongly feel that this time of year is… highly important, and therefore they push themselves too hard." Melony nods sagely. "I know he'll be alright, whatever might be worrying him."

Gordie just nods along. "Y-yeah."

"I suppose with that, this meeting is done. I'm sure you have things to return to, as do I."

"Yeah, yeah, uh-- working on getting my outfit ready for the gala." Gordie stands quickly, and Melony just smiles at him. "I'll uh, see you around, probably!" 

Once he's left, Melony shakes her head. "Where did he get that hasty nature from? It certainly can't have been me…" She rests her head onto her hand, looking down at the grain of the table. "I can't imagine what goes on inside his head. It must be like a riot in there." 

After a few moments pause, she stands. "I hope he isn't going to lock himself away regarding what's wrong with Milo. I… wouldn't end up that surprised if Milo was looking to date someone. I know Gordie's still caught up in his own issues."

With a small shrug, she aims to leave the room. "But, that's not my business to be getting into. Rotom, end recording. I'll think over our ideas for Circhester later on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> recently moved into uni so im glad i got this update out. dunno how much ill be able to write soon. thank u for stickin with me <3


	6. Chapter 6

"Alright, so, I haven't been given the go-ahead by Leon  _ yet _ , but Ollie, Wendy, as my senior trainers, I've got plans to get you two another Pokemon each. Y'know, bulk up numbers and all that." Gordie's sat with his Gym trainers, ready to inform them all of the changes planned for Circhester Gym. 

"Huh?" Oliver raises his eyebrows a little, as if confused. "Wait-- we get another Pokemon?" 

"Mate, are you even listening?" Wendy jokingly pats his shoulder. "Yeah, we're gettin' another Pokemon!" 

“Oh! Uh-- what Pokemon, Mr Gordie?” Oliver leans forward, an excited grin on his face. “Could I get a Stonjourner like you? I-- I mean, if I’m allowed to request, and all!”

“Wait are we requesting Pokemon? I want a Lycanroc!” Wendy almost completely mirrors Oliver, patting her hands on the table. “Ly! Can! Roc!”

Gordie glances tiredly at Kiera, who shrugs.

“Okay, I need you two to calm down. That’s just one part of this, okay? We’re overhauling the whole challenge, since  _ apparently _ people are annoyed me and mum have the same kind of challenge.” Before any of his trainers can speak, Gordie opens his mouth again. “And  _ no, _ I haven’t directly heard these. People told Melony about it and she told me this morning.”

“Oh, you’ve talked to Mrs Melony already.” The voice of his final Gym trainer, Abigail, is quiet.

“Yeah? Did you need to speak to her about something?”

“Oh, uh-- no, no, I was-- I mean, I heard the rumour about her having a new boyfriend, and I… wanted to know if that was true or not.”

"Oh, I heard about that one, too." Oliver pauses for a moment. "It doesn't, like…  _ sound _ like her to like, keep it secret, does it?" 

"Eh, not  _ really,  _ but there's a lot going on right now. Maybe she was saving it for a big event so she could announce it." Kiera speaks, now. She's not normally one for gossip, but the topic isn't changing anytime soon, she's sure. "So, does she have a boyfriend? Will we ever know?" 

At that, all of the Gym trainers look at Gordie. 

"No. At least-- not from what I know. She said she didn't when I talked to her."

"So she discussed it with you?" Kiera raises an eyebrow.

"She thought  _ I _ started it. That's why she talked about it with me." After a moment's pause, Gordie sighs. "Can we get back on topic, please? This is kind of important."

"Oh, er, right. Sorry, Mr Gordie." Ollie scratches the back of his neck. "Guess I shouldn't let my gossip-loving brain prattle on."

The other Gym trainers seem to quietly mumble their agreements, and Gordie nods. 

"Listen, I don't blame you guys for wondering-- I think all of Galar does at this point, considering there's straight up a  _ news article _ about it." He's not going to throw Milo under the bus. He's not gonna tell anyone that it's Milo's fault that there's a rumour about his mum. "I kinda wonder who people think she might be dating, but--"

"I honestly thought it was about her and Kabu." Abigail leans her head onto one hand, cutting over Gordie. "What about you guys?" 

"Same here-- or maybe one of the other Ice-type specialists. Wulfric, from Kalos, maybe?" Ollie lets his hand rest against his chin. "I mean-- I could see them together. It might work out--" 

"Kabu's very probably involved with his rival from Hoenn and Wulfric has a  _ family.  _ You two just aren't on the game today." Wendy shakes her head. "No, it's gotta be Brycen."

"What do you mean 'it's gotta be Brycen'? It doesn't have to be  _ any  _ of them!" Keira frowns at Wendy, though she throws an apologetic look to Gordie, who's clearly just  _ exhausted _ by the topic. "It could be anyone! A nobody, maybe! Somebody from a Region we barely know about!" 

"Okay but what if it was Lance, from Kanto--" 

"--you're projecting! You just wanna date Lance!" 

The argument continues, and Gordie considers for a moment to just stand up and  _ leave.  _ His Gym trainers are good, yes, when they're  _ focused _ on a task, and  _ not  _ on gossip. Multiple names are being thrown around by each of his trainers, all arguing their point, and Gordie lets his head rest on his hand, the other gently tapping a rhythm into the table they're sat at. The longer the discussion presses on for, the less Gordie enjoys it-- he's already had enough of people saying things about his mum being a milf, he doesnt want to think about anything to do with her sex life, mostly because  _ she's his mum.  _ It's just not something he ever wanted to consider, and he's sure that the rest of Galar would agree if it was  _ their _ mum that was being talked about. Clearly people don't consider it at all when it comes to celebrities. 

When he zones back in, they're still arguing over who it could be. The same few names are being tossed around, and Gordie can feel anger bubbling up in his chest-- he needs his trainers to  _ focus _ , and they're  _ not.  _ After a few moments of him considering what to do, Gordie lets both hands slam against the table, letting out a low, and  _ irritated _ sigh.

"That's  _ enough. _ " His voice is stern, and each of his Gym trainers quieten themselves and listen to him. "We're changing up the challenge in our Gym. I need each of you to take on a Rhydon and train them to move boulders."

After a moment of silence, Oliver speaks up. "M-may I ask why?" 

"Our challenge is gonna involve moving boulders to get through a maze, instead of our current pitfall challenge. I'll still give guidance to the challengers, but the Rhydon are gonna be the ones moving the rocks."

"Hey, that's a good idea. Just, uh, one question, though." Wendy seems to pause. "What if the Rhydon evolves into a Rhyperior?”

“Consider yourself lucky, then. If it evolves, you’re doing a great job. They don’t have to, of course, but it’s nice if they do.”

“Okay, but… only one Gym challenger can face the challenge at a time, right? So why are we all training Rhydon?” Kiera just  _ keeps _ raising her eyebrows at Gordie. He doesn’t blame her, of course-- it’s a big change, and they want to know  _ why _ it’s all happening and  _ what _ it all means.

“Because having more than one Pokemon that the challengers can rent out for use is  _ easier. _ That and it’ll help with understanding how to train more Rock-type Pokemon.”

“Oh, I get it yeah. You don’t wanna run one Rhydon into the ground, being rented out all the time.” Oliver tilts his head. “Right?”

“Exactly right. If everything goes well, and you guys have your Rhydon trained, we could have the gym challenge set up within maybe… two months? So right before the first challengers for the season get in.” Gordie knows that might be wishful thinking. His own Rhydon is a little on the stubborn side-- perhaps from his own training, considering he caught him right before his argument with Melony-- and that’s part of the reason he’s not part of his professional Gym roster. Nonetheless, he has high hopes for his own Gym staff, and he’s sure they’ll be fully capable of training Rhydon.

“Er, Mr Gordie, I just have one question--” Oliver speaks up once again. “If Wendy and I get another Pokemon, we’d have to train them  _ and _ the Rhydon, wouldn’t we?”

There’s barely a moment of pause from Gordie. “Yes. You’d have to train the both of them-- but you’re never alone when training a Pokemon. I’m here to talk to, just like everyone else will be. If you think you’re on your own, then we have a problem already.”

Now, he rests his head on his hand, eyes closed in silent thought. His fingers are tapping the table again, but this time without the irritation-- and after a few minutes of silence, he seems to open his eyes again. “Rhyhorn tend to live out on Route Eight, past Steamdrift. Or, if you’re lucky, head into the Wild Area. I’m going to leave how you catch and bond with them entirely up to you four-- again, I have faith that you’ll be alright.” After another few seconds of silence, he nods to himself. “Alright, you’re all dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

While three of his trainers stand with a quiet “thanks” and leave, one remains seated, showing no signs of even  _ wanting _ to leave. As Gordie’s remained in the same place, too, he raises an eyebrow.

“Ollie?”

“I… I just wanted to ask you a question. Is-- is that okay?”

“Of course it is, Ollie. What’s up?”

“Do, uh… do you have plans for… the gala?” Oliver’s voice is quiet, and he scratches the back of his neck. “I was-- I was wondering because, I uh, I know some of the other trainers have plans and stuff--”

“Fashion wise, or something else?” How sheepish Ollie seems to be, and the way he’s wording things, it has Gordie confused. Does he mean something, or…?

“Uh--! I mean, uhm-- it… nevermind. Just-- forget I asked.” Oliver gives a queasy grin, standing up so quickly that he slams his knee into the table. “Ow--!”

“You sure, mate? You seem uh-- rushed.” Gordie stands too, holding a hand towards Oliver, who almost flinches away.

“I-- I’m fine! Nothing wrong! I was just-- it was a stupid question anyway, sorry.” By now, he’s not even making eye contact with Gordie. “I’ll-- I’ll get on catching a Rhyhorn and training him as soon as possible, Mr Gordie.”

With that, Oliver rushes from the room, leaving Gordie even more confused in his wake. He’s got no idea what Ollie possibly could have meant, and the longer he wonders, the more he wonders things that he probably shouldn’t. Gordie closes his mouth-- somewhere along the line, he must have opened it in confusion-- and tilts his head. Is he missing something?

“Rotom, what do you think Ollie meant?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like-- you heard Ollie, yeah?”

“Zzzzure, but I don’t think it’zzzz my place to guessz.” Rotom flies out of Gordie’s pocket, hovering around his head. “You’d have to azzzzsk him yourself!”

"That's--" Gordie sighs heavily, letting Rotom hover around him, following along as Gordie prepares to leave. "--not exactly what I was asking."

"Zzzzorry, Big G. Can't help you."

Gordie presses a finger to his temple, somewhat unfocused as he begins to walk through Circhester streets. That had been a whole  _ lot _ of a meeting with his trainers-- why had they been unfocused? Was he enabling them to be, with the way he thought about the potential of the rumour? Or was he just now learning that the four of them are magnetically drawn to rumours and drama? And what the  _ hell _ had Ollie meant? The only idea he's got is that Ollie  _ might've _ been asking him on a date-- but that's a  _ long shot.  _ It seems unlikely that Gordie would somehow have brought another gay guy into his gym. It's probably better to stay confused. 

He's got far more important things to worry about than Oliver  _ maybe _ having a crush on him. That’d just be another rumour on the pile-- and he’s had enough of rumours and drama for now. He’s just planning to get an early night, and to handle things as they come through the week.

Arceus, all he has to do is make it to Saturday in one, presentable piece. 

And then he’ll have to handle whatever Saturday’s going to bring him.


	7. Chapter 7

The week's been passing in a weird way. Sometimes, it feels slow, sluggish, like a Coalossal without Steam Engine-- and other days, it seems to pass so quickly, his brain barely catches up before the day's already gone. 

Saturday. It's Saturday now, and Gordie isn't sure if he's excited or  _ terrified.  _

Milo hasn't let Melony know it was him who started the rumour, yet. He'd attempted to text her, but his nerves had gotten the better of him-- and so, he'd called Gordie instead, profusely apologising time and time again, as if it could make up for his inability to tell Melony the truth. Of course, Gordie had offered to tell her  _ for _ him, but Milo had reasoned-- and understandably so-- that Melony would say that he was covering for  _ him,  _ and that Melony would think that Gordie had come up with the rumour, and asked Milo to be his scapegoat. 

Nessa had texted him a few times, too-- in between battles, apparently. She’d told him to match the colours that he had on each side-- “uniformity looks good right now, we can’t afford you looking like a clown”-- which had made Gordie laugh, at least. It’s funny, to him, to be told he looks like a clown, when he’s literally the Gym Leader in Circhester,  _ Circus Town. _

He's looking over his outfit-- a few pictures he'd taken are sat open on his phone as he glances at the waistcoat, the trousers-- and he inhales slowly, trying to figure out if he should have planned this whole 'coming out at the sponsorship gala' thing just a  _ little _ bit better than he has. After all, the only planning he'd even put in was telling himself he was going to do it and then hoping he stuck to it-- he doesn't know when he'll get the chance to announce it across the gala, and since it's such a  _ long _ and tiring affair, he can't even find solace in Milo at any point beforehand, as he's sure the media will find their way into producing an article theorising on their relationship  _ far _ before he'll get the chance to come out himself. He'll just have to hope it all goes well.

His trainers haven't talked much about the Rhydon yet-- it's only been a few days, of course, so he can't expect them to already be on and training, especially with the gala looming over them. Sometimes, Gordie wonders about the idea of Circhester being pushed into the minor leagues-- it happened once when he was a kid, and Melony wasn't too happy about it-- but he doubts that it'll happen at  _ this _ gala, especially with everything else going on.

Besides, he's close enough with Leon, isn't he? And surely Leon isn't going to shuffle the gyms around on his  _ first _ rodeo as the Chairman, now is he? Gordie's not  _ worried _ about it at all, though, even if it looks as if he is. Much like everyone else, he's got  _ other _ things to worry about. The gala, his trainers, coming out… whatever.

"Should've thought this through better." He mumbles to himself, now quietly sorting through his drawers to find an emerald ring, like Nessa had suggested. It  _ would _ suit with Milo's eyes-- much as a sapphire would suit his own-- and maybe Milo will take him up on the offer of one of his rings, just for the looks. A short sigh, and Gordie pulls at the collar of his jacket. Is it stuffy in here, or is he genuinely  _ terrified _ of what he's set himself out to do?

No. He shakes his head quickly. "Rotom, when does the gala start?"

"Sixzzz in the evening, Wyndon! Everyone'zzzz favourite five-star hotel, Rozzzzse of the Rhondelandzzzz!"

He has a few hours until then. He’s set out an hour or so for the trip-- he knows the CorviCab can get him there in time, and some are already poised and waiting for the Gym Leaders of their respective cities to be ready.

“Alright, Rotom. I want you to make sure my taxi is ready for me in two or so hours. I want to arrive early and talk to Leon.”

“An hour before the party! Faszzzzhionably early!”

“Why d’you mention that? Like me being  _ slightly _ late to meeting Nessa has made me wanna be early for the next twenty things I have to do? Because that’s  _ not _ what’s happening--” Or, maybe it is. He’s arguing with a  _ Pokemon _ , so maybe it  _ really _ is. Gordie taps his foot against the floor, huffing and turning away from Rotom. “Just make sure they’re ready.”

Rotom seems genuinely surprised at Gordie’s reaction. It floats over, to try and get a look at his face, and Gordie turns away again. “Don’t look at me.”

“You zzzzure you wanna be zzzour before the big night?” Rotom isn’t talking in a teasing way anymore-- it seems genuinely curious. “Zzzzhould I messzzzage Milo?”

Gordie pauses and jolts. “No! Don’t-- don’t let him know I’m like this. It’s… just-- leave me alone for a bit. Gonna go get a drink.”

He walks from his room, leaving his gala outfit strewn across his bed, instead heading towards his kitchen. He naturally pulls out two mugs-- one for himself, and one for his Shuckle, and he calls his Shuckle from his Pokeball.

“Okay, Silt… what kinda drink do you want?” He places four or so boxes of tea in front of Silt, and he tilts his head. “I think I’m… gonna have Cheri and cinnamon.”

Silt seems to murmur at that, gently hitting his head on the Bluk and Belue box.

“Okay, Silt-baby. You gonna want honey in that? Or are you feeling sour tonight?” He gently reaches down to pet Silt’s head, feeling him wriggle happily. “I’ll give you some honey in it so you don’t spit it out.” His other hand reaches across to the kettle to turn it on, his left hand entirely busy petting his Shuckle. Silt seems to wriggle his limbs at Gordie, happily rubbing his face up against his hand as he watches him put the teabags into the mugs, and then the water.

“Don’t try and sip it yet, you’ll burn yourself. I don’t have enough Rawst berries to help--” As Gordie speaks, Silt seems to procure a Rawst berry from inside his shell. “--okay.”

Gordie starts to pace around the kitchen as he waits for his tea to steep enough, gesturing as he mumbles to himself. When Silt recognises he's talking, he takes his head out of his mug and starts watching, turning his entire head as Gordie goes back and forth. He tilts his head as Gordie continues, clearly recognising the anguish from his trainer, though not understanding  _ why. _ After a little chirp from him goes unnoticed, he decides to get a little louder.

“Shuck!! Shuckle shuck.” Silt wriggles around to try and catch Gordie’s attention, too, and he turns his head, raising an eyebrow at his Pokemon.

“What’s up, Silty?” He looks worriedly at his Shuckle, mostly fearful that he  _ had _ burned himself on the tea, but judging by the way he’s looking at him, it’s… something else?

“Shuckle!! Shuckle Shuckle shuck shuck.” Silt sounds a little indignant, though Gordie still has no idea what about.

“Don’t give me that tone, please--” Gordie sighs softly. “I’m not ignoring you. I just… don’t want you to get involved in this. It’s stupid.” When he sees Silt move his head again, he shakes his. “No, no, don’t give me Rockruff eyes. It’s personal stuff, I don’t want you to get stuck in it like you always do.”

“Shuckle.”

“Of  _ course _ I value your input, mate! You’re my little best buddy! But this is about me coming out to everyone at the gala, and I don’t think you could help much with that… unless you don’t mind me going through what I’m planning to say.”

Silt mumbles, as if he wants Gordie to speak.

“Okay, okay, so… I’ll run you through what I wanna say.” Gordie stands taller, clearing his throat, as if he’s far more confident than he looks. “Hey, I’m uh-- I gotta… so I’m talking to y’all because I wanna say this sh--” Gordie’s cut off by Silt crying out  _ loudly. _ “What, not good?”

Silt pats his limbs on the table, clearly displeased by what Gordie had been saying. With a pained look, Gordie tries again.

“I’m here to talk to you all about something  _ very _ important regarding me… no, something  _ very _ important about me that I want to make clear, before anyone else can come up with stupid theo--” Another cry from Silt, and Gordie clears his throat  _ again. _ “Before people can make up theories about it.” He pauses. He can feel his throat constricting, like he’s really saying this to everyone at the Gala, like he’s  _ really _ coming out to everyone he knows-- “I-I’m… I am… I…”

Gordie looks rapidly between Silt, the floor, everything around him, as if he doesn’t want to finish the sentence. When he can feel tears welling up in his eyes, he rapidly covers them with one of his arms, forcing out the most  _ pained _ smile he’s managed in a while. After the first sniffle, he practically lets himself just sink to the floor, covering both his eyes with his hands and not looking up. It’s  _ stupid _ for him to get so worked up about it. What does he even expect to happen? 

_ Is everyone gonna hate me? Leave me behind? Is mum really gonna full on disown me?  _ He shudders at the thought-- and he starts sobbing. “ _ I-I can’t--! I can’t do it, Silt…” _

Silt immediately clambers off the table, putting himself in Gordie’s lap and gently nuzzling him. He’s careful as he wraps one limb around one of Gordie’s arms, pulling it down towards him as if to tell him to hold him. Taking the prompt, Gordie lets his hand cover most of Silt’s shell, gently rubbing his thumb on the Shuckle’s neck.

“Hey… thanks for being here…” Gordie mumbles, still wiping his eyes. “Shouldn’t be cryin’ about this…” He sniffles a bit, and Silt trills softly. “You’re a real one, you worm baby.”

After a sharp inhale, Gordie clears his throat. “I can do this. I know I can. I have to. I know that Milo’s there for me… and so’s Nessa…” His trainers will be too, he’s sure… but for everyone else, in his mind, it’s a toss up. There’d be no reason that Raihan and Leon wouldn’t be on his side either, right? And Piers, too-- that is, if Piers is even  _ at _ the gala. 

He shouldn’t be worried, right? Right?

“You think I’m gonna be okay, Silt?” Gordie wipes the last of the tears out of his eyes, though it’s obvious he’s been crying. Hopefully it won’t be so obvious by the time he reaches the gala.

Silt nods softly, and Gordie lifts him up, holding him close. His tea’s cold by now, but it doesn’t matter.

“Right. I’ll get ready. Wish me luck.” Gordie stands, still holding Silt, who trills happily. “Let’s show the whole of Galar what we’re made of.”


	8. Chapter 8

Gordie’s hands are tightly clasped together as he wanders around, offering his regular bright smile to any journalist who looks his way. He’s trying to find Leon-- he’s  _ surely _ somewhere around here, isn’t he? After all, he’s running this whole thing, so why would he be so absent?

_ Maybe he’s just caught up with some journalists. Maybe he’s just  _ **_busy._ **

Admittedly, he’d ask Raihan where Leon was-- if the dragon tamer wasn’t already busy staving off a bunch of prying questions and the like. Maybe he’d do better trying to speak to somebody else-- maybe Kabu caught sight of him somewhere, or Opal-- hell, maybe Bea was the last to see him. All he knows is that he has to find where Leon is, and  _ talk _ to him. While he’s considering gently inserting himself into a conversation going on between Kabu and Opal, he rapidly reconsiders as he spots Melony beside them, instead turning away and wandering towards Nessa, hopeful that nobody noticed his sudden change in direction.

“Ness…?” Gordie’s quieter than he expects. “You seen Leon anywhere?”

“Hrm?” Nessa whips around to face him, and raises both her eyebrows. “I knew that’d look good on you.” She pauses a moment, as if trying to recall something. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Fuck. I need to talk to him about something.”

Nessa already knows what. She nods gently, before motioning somewhere. “If I see him, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him. You should sit down.”

A look across at where she motioned, and Gordie can see Milo sat alone at a table, clearly a little uncomfortable. He wordlessly thanks Nessa with a single flick of his wrist, before heading over to his boyfriend, sitting beside him.

“You doing alright, mate?”

Milo jumps at his sudden voice, as if he’d been dragged out of his thoughts violently. “Dee--! I… god, I hadn’t expected that.” A small sigh escapes his lips, and he almost looks as if he’s deflating. “Just… loud noises, lots of people…” He makes a small motion with his hands, before he suddenly forces a smile onto his face. “Anyway, what about you?”

Confused at Milo’s sudden shift in tone, Gordie’s eyebrows knit into a frown, and he glances around-- is somebody watching them? “I’m uh… yeah, I’m alright. Been looking for Leon since this began, I’ll be honest.”

“He  _ has _ been weirdly absent. I hope he doesn’t keep that up.” Milo’s motioning with his eyes now, and Gordie can see what he’s directing him towards. A swathe of reporters seem to be discussing something, looking at the both of them talking-- so far away from everyone else, they  _ must _ think something’s going on. It’s only going to take one of them approaching and  _ asking _ something for one of them to potentially crumble. “I…”

Gordie’s attention immediately snaps back over to Milo, watching his boyfriend with nothing but pure worry in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

Milo's hand gently rises to his mouth, and after a few moments of pause, he shakes his head. "I… think I'm going to throw up." He stands suddenly, offering a pained look to Gordie. "Sorry--"

Gordie only watches as Milo excuses himself-- he worries, of course, but he can't outwardly show it, now can he? Those journalists are watching him intently, approaching slow like a pack of Herdier. He knows they'll ask something about it, ask him about all sorts of things he doesn't want to answer…

He has to weigh up his options. Either he answers questions, fuels rumours… potentially outs himself before he's ready, or… he can push past them, ignore the questions. He's prepared for more rumours about him-- they're… annoying, yes, but they're not the end of his career, yet. When they start getting closer, Gordie stands, heading directly towards them.

"Mr Gym Leader, could you answer a few--?" One of them begins, and Gordie shakes his head.

"Sorry, I'm looking for Leon right now. It's important." He pauses, however. “If any of you happen to know where he is, I’ll offer a raincheck on questions.”

Every single journalist seems to scramble over each other to try and recall the last time they saw the ex-Champion, speaking over each other to try and be the center of attention. Of course, Gordie isn’t picking up a single word being said, instead just smiling plainly at them as he waits for one to actually say something coherent. After what feels like forever, one of them says something he understands.

“I saw Leon heading towards the buffet area with his little brother!”

“Ah, good, right. That’s somewhere I can find.” Gordie smiles brighter. “Come find me later, alright? I’ll be happy to answer questions then.” And with that, he leaves the collection of journalists behind, trying to pass people without annoying them. There’s a large amount of people just milling about-- other Gym Leaders, sponsors, just  _ people _ who got invited. Gordie doesn’t really care who he passes, he just needs to find Leon and talk to him… though he doesn’t want to cause a  _ fight _ either. Last time he’d been in a fight in a packed area was back in secondary, and sure, he has people who’d back him up now, but it’s not exactly what he  _ wants _ to happen tonight.

Oh  _ shit, _ if he’s pulled a raincheck on questions, and they catch him after he…  _ oh Zacian. _

Through the swathes of people, he catches eyes with Leon, surrounded by reporters, and clearly trying to keep his little brother away from being swarmed. He can understand it-- sure, Hop’s a powerful trainer, but being talked to by reporters is a  _ lot _ different from a battle. At least, that’s what he understands, anyway. He offers Leon a half-wave, and the ex-Champion seems to be  _ relieved _ , guiding Hop away from the reporters and likely telling them all that he’s got something important to get to. Anything to get away from people like that.

“Leon--” Gordie begins, but Leon’s arm immediately goes around his shoulder, turning him around and guiding him further away.

“Not here. Where can you think of where we can get actual  _ privacy  _ to talk, coworker to coworker--?”

“I’ve been suggesting the bathroom all night, but Lee hasn’t listened.” Hop speaks up from beside his brother, and Gordie barely stifles a little laugh.

“Bathroom seems fine, but I know Milo might’ve just pulled a Jackson Pollock in there.”

“Yuck.” Hop says, grimly. “Lee, you know this building, right?”

“Hop, I’m  _ pants _ with directions, like you always say. I don’t know what rooms connect to what.” Leon glances around-- though right now, he doesn’t seem to be able to see much. “Gords, how best could we get a good view of the room layout so we can find somewhere you can talk to me about… whatever this is.”

“Put Hop on your shoulders. I used to do it all the time for Sasch.” Gordie glances around Leon, at Hop. “You fine with going on his shoulders?”

“I mean last time we did that, Lee tripped over and I got gravel in my mouth.” Despite what he says, Hop grins. “I’m all for it.”

“Sweet as.” Without even asking Leon, Gordie picks Hop up, lifting him towards Leon’s shoulders. “Leon, duck a little bit so we can get Hop comfortable.”

“Gordie--?!”

“Listen Leon, either you duck, or I kick out the back of your leg so you go down and we can put Hop on you.” At that, Leon crouches down, and Gordie places Hop onto Leon’s shoulders.

“Maybe a Tepiggyback would have worked better.” Leon grumbles, arms lifting to hold Hop’s legs so he doesn’t tip backwards. Hop, however, seems to be  _ greatly _ enjoying this, his arms crossed on top of Leon’s head.

“Hey, I can see Raihan from here! We’re taller than him!” Hop waves at the dragon tamer, and he seems to grin and wave back.

“Hey Hop! I can see you!” Raihan yells across the crowd. “You’re taller than Leon now?”

“Yeah! Growth spurt!”

“That’s peng as! If you can see Leon, tell him I love him!”

“I can hear you, Raihan!”

“ **_All of us can!_ ** ” Nessa yells from somewhere behind them. Honestly, Gordie hadn’t even noticed that they’d passed her. “Tallest trainer in the room award is going to Hop tonight?”

“There’s  **_awards?!_ ** ” Hop leans down, so he can look at Leon’s face. “Lee! You never told me that!”

As much as he understands how Milo gets stifled in crowds like this, there’s still something distinctly…  _ friendly _ about everyone. Sure, he and Leon appear to be the centre of attention at this moment, but hey, for a laugh, it’s alright.

“Trust me, once I find Milo again, I’m gonna pick him up so he can win the tallest trainer in the room award.” Gordie crosses his arms, and Leon rolls his eyes.

“You’re competitive as, you know that?” Leon shakes his head a little. “Not surprising you’re strong enough to give me a run for my money sometimes.” Now, Leon naturally goes to run a hand through his hair, instead finding Hop. “Hop! Can you move a little, you’re tugging my hair.”

“Are we finding somewhere private for you guys to natter or what?” Hop shifts his legs around slightly, and Leon pulls his hair forwards. “You should’ve put your hair into a bun or something, Lee.”

“This was kind of  _ sprung _ on me, Hopscotch. Can you see anywhere?”

Gordie glances up at Hop, watching as he surveys the area.

“How are you two with lifts?”

“I do ‘em.” Gordie says, naturally, before he shakes his head. “You don’t mean you want us to talk in a  _ lift _ , right?” Sure, they might be more private than some of the other places they can reach from here, but  _ still. _ “Bit claustrophobic.”

“Best idea I’ve got so far. Just go into the bathroom if you’re so desperate for privacy. I can see Milo in the crowds again, so he’s fine, probably.” Hop points at Milo, however neither Leon nor Gordie can actually  _ see _ him. “Just go go go, get this over with before you’re meant to be talking to everyone, Lee. Also, crouch so I can get off your shoulders.” At Hop’s request, Leon crouches down, and he slides off his shoulders, grinning. “Thanks, Lee! That was fun!”

“No problem, Hop. Anyway--” He turns his attention back to Gordie. “You need to talk about something. Let’s go to the bathrooms and just… hope nobody follows us.” Leon ruffles Hop's hair as they start walking. "See you around, Hopscotch. We can meet up again after I talk to everyone, unless you wanna forge your own path to greatness and all that."

"Think I'm good on my own, now, Lee. I'll yell for you if I need anything." Hop grabs his brother's hand and pulls it down, with Leon with it. Then, he turns his attention to Gordie. "Don't get lost. Sure the rest of the Leaders will hate having to look for you."

"Hey, it's no problem. I'll make sure we don't get lost in the world renowned maze that is the Rose of the Rhondelands bathroom." Gordie grins. "See you around, little Professor."

As Hop disappears into the crowd, and Gordie and Leon make their way towards the bathrooms, Leon throws a questioning glance to Gordie. "How d'you know Hop's working with Sonia?"

"Heard through Nessa at first. She loves gossip, and hey, so do I." There's a shrug of his shoulders. "Being perceived as a girl in secondary really does that to you."

Leon seems to let out a somewhat relieved sigh-laugh. "Same here, really. Y'know, sometimes I forget you're trans. I guess we both just pass  _ super _ well." Leon plows on with the conversation. "But… Zacian, secondary was a mess for me. I was trying to be Champion, and a good student, and  _ not _ get my ass kicked." He sighs wistfully. "Stressful as all get out, but I kinda miss it. At least I've got a lot less to worry about now I'm Chairman."

"I getcha. I got my ass kicked on a daily basis at secondary-- but so did the assholes kicking my ass. I don't take shit lying down, and I got that from mum."

"Ha! I wondered if you were always a bit stubborn. You and Melony are kinda similar-- of course, aside from just the fact that you're family. Like… Hop and I."

"I see it, yeah. I just… don't know if you saw the argument we had firsthand or if you saw it after the fact. That'd be what'll tip you off as to why we haven't made up yet. But… that's not actually what I'm trying to talk to you about. It's something a lot more serious. Closer to my heart and all that."

Leon pauses. His own argument with his mum  _ isn't  _ close to his heart? If he'd argued with  _ his _ mum, it'd ruin the way they acted around each other until one of them decided to Ponyta up and apologise. Clearly the stubbornness he'd picked up on does far more harm than good for the both of them. "Alright. Shoot."

Gordie freezes up. He has to tell Leon what he needs to do, but it just feels… so hard. So hard to push past that invisible barrier he's built around himself that stops him from being sincere and not sarcastic, from trusting in his friends sometimes, from just… feeling what he's meant to feel. "I need to make like… a big announcement. After yours, probably. Don't wanna detract from what you've gotta say. I'm just… a little nervous."

"You? Nervous? That's…" Leon stops himself. "It's gotta be something important, then. Whatever it is, you're free to take the stage. I can invite you up at the end for your announcement, whatever it is."

“That… sounds good, yeah.” Gordie nods slowly. “Thanks, Leon. Honestly.”

“For what? You’re the guy who asked me if he could make an announcement-- I’m sure the change in pace will drive the media wild.” Leon chuckles softly. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed Nessa nodding off a few times during the old Chairman’s speeches. I’m sure your voice would snap anybody out of a nap.”

“How d’you mean, mate?” A raised eyebrow from Gordie, and Leon shrugs.

“You know! Your voice is  _ way _ nicer to listen to than, say… Rose’s voice. And the change between me speaking and you speaking-- that’s gonna make heads turn. Whatever your announcement is about, the media is gonna  _ love _ the fact that you’ve stepped up to say something. Might make other Leaders do the same if they’ve got fun stuff to talk about.”

“Zacian-- now I’ve gotta be the most put together to set an example?” Gordie feigns fear. “Can’t wait for it, mate. We’re gonna get Raihan come up every time and tell everybody how much he loves you.”  _ Maybe I could do that with Milo, too. We’re all gonna be friends after all this. It’s gonna be okay… I hope. _ “But that aside, I  _ do _ wonder what happens with everybody else.”

“Yeah… you guys don’t really get enough time off. Sundays are good and all-- and Circhester and Stow-on-Side Leaders get to enjoy an extra three days of preparation over everyone else, but still… I’ll see what I can do about that.” Leon glances at the door. “Anything else you wanna ask me, or are we ready to get hit with a bajillion questions a minute?”

Something else… something else… wasn’t he meant to ask something else…? One of his hands dips into his hair, and he scratches his scalp idly as he thinks-- there  _ was _ something else, right? Think through the week… Saturday was exhibition matches, Sunday was Milo’s, Monday was--

“Shit-- can mum and I get a few new Pokemon for our Gym Trainers? We were talking about it on Monday-- I wanna give my two senior Trainers an extra Pokemon each, and mum’s the same.” Gordie stops. “Oh. Also I’m changing my Gym Challenge.”

“Changing it?”

“Yeah. Mum got complaints about ours being ‘too similar’ or something like that. I never heard ‘em, so it’s word of mouth.”

“Hm. I wonder why they didn’t take that up with me.”

“I dunno. Mum’s one of the senior Gym Leaders, maybe they think us younger ones are incompetent. I don’t know. For all I fuckin’ know, it could’ve come out of one of my fans and they want mum to change hers. She’s had it set up longer than me, I should be the one to change it-- and I’ve got a plan to. Anyway--” With a glance at his Rotom Phone, Gordie clears his throat. “I think we should dip. You’ve gotta make your speeches soon, and I’ve gotta… uh… not throw up from the nerves. Good luck.”

“You’re wishing  _ me _ good luck?” Leon can’t help but laugh. “It’s not my first time giving a speech, Gordie. Rose had me… doing a few. It’s you I’m worried about, especially with throwing up from nerves.”

“Just-- don’t worry about that. I’ll be fine. I know that… everybody out there’s already cheerin’ me on.”  _ Now I just gotta get my brain to believe that I’ll be alright.  _ “Ness and Milo already know about me makin’ an announcement. Think they’re the only ones, aside from you.”

“I’m party to secret knowledge?” Leon raises an eyebrow. “But I bet you told Milo and Nessa what you’re going to be making an announcement about.”

“They happen to know.” Another glance at his Rotom Phone, and Gordie’s expression starts to get worried. “Mate, we’ve super gotta get outta here. I don’t wanna have to push through more reporters to get to my seat.”

“Right, alright. Good luck, anyway, mate. I’ll see you out there.”

Gordie nods and watches as Leon leaves. He’s still standing there-- his stomach’s churning with anxiety, and he pauses to take a breath. “It’s fine. It’s fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. I believe in us… I believe in us… Silt believes in me…” He runs a hand through his hair, forcing a confident smile onto his face. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

The moment he steps out of the bathrooms, he runs into Bea, who looks disgruntled at the collision. Despite this, she grabs onto his sleeve.

“Oi, rockman, come on. Was lookin’ for you.” She’s already pulling him along behind her, and he’s basically on autopilot, following along. “Thought you’d bailed for a tick.”

“Bailed--? Why the hell would you--”

“You disappear with Leon! Leon’d mentioned dipping earlier to me, thought maybe the two of you were planning it. I don’t know, man. Ness and Milo are waitin’.” Bea pushes him towards the table, and he sits beside Milo. When Bea sits, too, she seems to be waiting expectantly for someone to say something.

“So how did your chat with Leon go?” Nessa turns to Gordie.

“It’s all good. Gonna get to make an announcement after he’s done.” Gordie glances at Milo. “You sure you’re good, mate?”

“I’m… fine.” He mumbles. Under the table, his hand seeks out Gordie’s, holding tightly to it and squeezing. The next thing he says is under his breath-- Gordie can barely hear it. “Better now you’re here.” His fingers run across Gordie’s knuckles-- reminiscent of Sunday morning, sat across from each other eating breakfast-- and a small smile graces his lips. “Good luck, Dee.”

“Thanks, Milo.” Gordie squeezes his hand in return, smiling gently at him. "Sure everything's gonna be golden."

When he focuses back on the others, Bea is looking at him curiously. "You're makin' an announcement?" She glances around, before leaning over the table. "This hush hush? What's it about?"

"You'll see. Been talking about it to Leon and the like." Gordie just smiles. Better not to let Bea know. "How's Stow-on-Side been?"

“Changing the subject, big man?” Bea’s eyebrows raise higher-- if that’s even possible. “Stow’s alright. Alli and I are handlin’ things fine. We got the same kinda biz you guys in Circhester’s got.”

“Yeah. Kinda shitty runnin’ a whole town on your own though, right?”

“It’s smaller than Circhester. We handle it.” Bea turns away for a second, up to the main podium. “Leon’s talking already?”

That makes Nessa, Gordie  _ and _ Milo turn. Clearly the four of them had entirely forgotten that Leon was making announcements and the like, too wrapped up in everything else around them. 

“I tuned his voice out a little while ago.” Milo mumbles. “Really wanna go back to the bathroom and see if I can cool off a little.” He looks at Nessa, then at Gordie. “How long d’you bet he’s gonna keep goin’ for?”

“Give him twenty minutes as an overestimate. Nobody’ll notice if you just stand up and go to the bathrooms.” Nessa waves her hand gently at him. “Trust me. I’ll help you sneak out there if you want.”

“You alright with that, Dee?” Milo squeezes his hand again, both their hands resting together on Gordie’s thigh.

He has something planned, actually. He’d like Milo to be around for it-- but can he really blame him for wanting to go and calm down again? “You need time to yourself, mate. If you could, though, make sure you’re back out when I’m up there, alright? I… think it’d draw attention to where people last saw you, when I…”

Bea sticks her tongue out. “You two are  _ so _ weird around eachother.” She shakes her head. “Like you don’t even know how to act around people!”

Neither Gordie or Milo can figure out how to reply-- so Nessa takes it upon herself. “Bea, why don’t you come with us, too? Don’t want you antagonising Gordie any more than you already are.”

Bea stands alongside Nessa, scoffing. “You say that like the rockman’s gettin’ soft.” With a final glance at Gordie, she flicks her wrist in a goodbye. “Man’s a boulder. There’s no way.”

“See you soon, Dee.” Milo smiles gently at Gordie as he stands up, letting their hands slip away. He misses the touch already. “And… good luck, again.”

“Thanks, Milo. Everything’s gonna be good.”  _ It has to be. _ “Take as long as you need.”

The three leave Gordie sat alone at the table, staring blankly up at Leon. He’s not listening to what he’s saying-- something about Wyndon, and the redesigning of… something… there’s passing mention of Circhester Gym and what he’d mentioned to him… everything else, though, goes entirely past him. He’s got the words in his head he’s gonna say, he knows he can do it… 

His fingers tighten around something in his pocket. Gordie’s thumb runs across the smooth surface, and he inhales sharply as it passes over a small gemstone. It’s not too fast. It’ll be the best idea he’s had in a while-- he’ll have to ask Leon something as he goes up.

A frontflip off the podium would look  _ sick _ anyway, wouldn’t it?

Once he’s back in his own thoughts, time seems to pass quickly. His foot taps impatiently against the table leg, playing around with the item in his pocket, thinking harder and harder about his plan. Hopefully Milo won’t be  _ too _ unhappy with it-- the area’s made for him to be able to land a frontflip, right? A glance at the table layout--  _ yeah, I think I could, if Milo stands far enough back _ \--

He focuses back in as Leon’s finishing.

“I think that’s about everything that  **_I_ ** have to say, but one of our Gym Leaders has an important announcement to make. Gym Leader Gordie, could you come up to the podium?

_ Here we go. Here we go. _

“Hey, gladly, mate!” Gordie stands with a grin. He can see Milo just about peeking out of the bathrooms, waiting for his chance to mingle back into the crowd-- and Gordie strides towards Leon, and the podium… and his impending announcement. He can feel anxiety in his chest, heart beating harder than before. It almost hurts-- building up all that confidence  _ really _ isn’t paying off too much, huh?

As he passes Leon, he hushedly asks him a question, “you don’t mind if I frontflip off the podium, right?”

“Whatever you want, man! It’s your announcement!” Leon offers him a grin. “Have fun up there!”

Gordie nods curtly--  _ perfect, that’s one thing down-- _ before he takes his place at the podium. Everyone’s looking so expectantly-- fuck, he’s  _ terrified. _ This is  _ so much _ ; maybe Milo was right, maybe he should’ve just come out to a few people, maybe he should have--

He has to nip those thoughts in the bud as he stands before the microphone.

“Greetings to uh--” He scratches the back of his neck. “Well, I guess it’s Wyndon in here, and the rest of Galar out there. I’m so used to only addressing Circhester!” Gordie laughs cheerily, and some of the crowd seems to join him. “Now, I’m not normally one for big announcements like this, so, really, forgive me if I, well… ham it up a little. First time for everything.”

_ Get to the point. Zacian, get to the  _ **_point_ ** _ , Gordie! _

“So, this is a pretty important announcement to me. For a while I’ve been tossing the idea around in my head of talking to everybody like this… and I’m ready to now. I’d like everyone in Galar to know--”

He locks eyes with Milo, in the crowd. He’s got his hand by his mouth, watching with bated breath, he’s sure. It’s all down to this.

“--I’m gay, and I’ve been dating Gym Leader Milo for the past two years.” It’s been a while, that he’s been holding all of this in. The crowd seems ready to erupt into discussion already, but there’s one last thing he needs to do. “Before you all start talking amongs yourselves, there’s something else I need to do. Milo, could you come forwards, please?” 

When his boyfriend has approached, close enough to the podium, but just far enough away that Gordie could still land in front of him, Gordie nods to himself. He pushes the microphone out of the way-- mostly so he doesn’t hit it on his jump. “This is gonna either end  _ really _ well, or  _ really _ badly. Let’s see which one it is!” 

He steps back, far enough that he’s backed up against the wall. Then, he runs at the podium, leaping high enough that one foot lands on the top of the podium-- and he springs himself again, flipping forwards. He lands in front of Milo, down on one knee, and through the mild pain of landing a little awkwardly, he holds out his clenched right hand. When he feels as if Milo’s looking at it, he opens it.

Sat in his palm is a gold ring, embedded with a stunning emerald.

“You wanna marry me?” Gordie grins-- he’s hiding exactly how anxious he is. He looks up from the floor, at Milo--

Milo’s shaking, one hand covering his mouth entirely, the other reaching towards the ring-- towards Gordie. When his fingers brush against it, he moves his other hand away from his mouth, revealing a shaky smile. “I-- I…”

The whole of Galar seems to stand still, in that moment. Nobody’s speaking, everyone just  _ watching, _ silently, waiting for the answer. Gordie, most of all.

“ _ I want nothing more. _ ” Milo’s voice is hushed, as if it’s meant for Gordie alone to hear. There’s tears glittering in his eyes as he takes the ring and examines it, and Gordie stands, happy to help him slip it onto his finger. “Dee, you’re--”  _ shaking. _ He’s still not heard what the rest of Galar thinks.

There’s another moment of pause. Gordie seems to look across the crowd-- at Nessa, then Leon, then Melony. After those moments, Raihan stands.

“Woo yeah! Glad you came out to us, big man!” He yells, and there seems to be a chorus of agreement. “We love to see it!”

A laugh forces it’s way past Gordie’s lips without him thinking. “Thanks, Rai!” Oh, wow, everyone’s still looking at him. “Oh, uh-- that’s about it! Thanks for bein’ patient, Galar!”

Conversation seems to resume after that. People are chattering all around him-- fuck, he feels dizzy, is this how Milo felt earlier? Is he  _ good _ dizzy, or did he manage to clip the roof on that frontflip? Maybe he needs to sit down. One hand raises to his head, and Milo gently guides him to a seat.

“You feel alright, Dee?” Milo smiles gently, now holding his hands above the table. They’re out. They can do this now-- it’s so strange. “You look white as snow.”

“Y-yeah.” He says, shakily. “Just… weight off my shoulders, y’know? Feels so… new. Zacian… Milo, I love you so, so much.”

“Love you too, Dee.” He glances up for a moment, not thinking about maintaining his common dialect. “Yer mum’s comin’. Y’wanna talk to ‘er?”

“Yeah. I do.” Gordie looks up, turning to face Melony as she walks over. “Hey, mum.”

“Gordie. I’m so…” She looks down at him kindly. “I’m so proud of you. That must’ve taken… a lot of planning.”

“Less than you’d think. Freeballed most’ve it, I’ll be honest--”

“May I hug you?” Melony’s question takes Gordie off guard, and he raises an eyebrow.

“Huh--?” She didn’t normally… ask. Nor did she normally give physical contact-- not really since their argument. Gordie always pushed her away. “I… yeah. Yeah.” He stands, wrapping his arms around his mum, and feeling her do the same. “Sorry I was such a…”  _ Twat.  _ “...prat. Shouldn’t’ve argued-- or at least… held the grudge that long.”

“You had every right to, Gordie. I wasn’t supporting you the way you wanted.” Melony shakes her head. “I was talking to Kabu and Opal about it, earlier. Opal said something about both of us being a little too stubborn for our own good.” There’s a little laugh from her. “And trust her to know us all better than we do.”

“Them’s th’ fae’s way.” Milo says quietly. “Met a few near Turffield, y’know? Fairies are everywhere. Must be reportin’ back to somewhere, right?”

Gordie snorts. “You saying that Opal’s a fae queen?”

“Nobody saying she ain’t. Who knows, really, but her?”

“I think that’s her secret to keep.” Melony’s voice is gentle. “But I’ll see if I can’t tease some information out of her. Now, I’m sure the two of you would like to… enjoy the rest of the night together.”

“Yeah. Anytime though, okay, mum? I’ll come visit more often.” Gordie smiles at her as they pull away. “See how the triplets are doing.”

“Of course, Gordie. You’re always welcome at home-- though that goes without saying. You too, Milo, dear.” Melony’s smile brightens. “What sort of a mum would I be if I didn’t embarrass my son in front of his fiancé?”

“Awful kind offer, Mrs Melony-- uhm. Melony.” Milo almost chokes on his words. “Might take you up on that offer. Circhester’s pretty in the winter, but I’ll need to bundle some coats. Plants don’t do so well in the cold.”

“Absolutely! Anyway-- the two of you enjoy yourselves. Looks like you’ve got quite a few journalists to get through before you can rest.” Melony winks, and Gordie turns back, locking eyes with the journalists from before.

“Ah. Right, that raincheck.” Gordie says, gently. “Alright. You better ask me clearly, ‘cause if I can’t figure out what the question is, I’m not answering.”

As if on cue, the journalists seem to line up. Milo just looks hopelessly at Gordie. He’s not used to so much attention. With a small glance at his fiancé, Gordie smiles.

“We’re ready. Give us your best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright! that's me done! thanks for sticking with me through quarantine for this, honestly. i've been working hard on it and i've got a lot of other things to do after this (and as you can see, i've done a lot of things DURING this) so i hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> (Hey, catch me on tumblr at trans-clive-dove, and if you like me writing stuff like this, >:3c you know what to do. Support your local writers baybeee)


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